


Rhythm and Blues

by GenericUnicorn



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alpha Kageyama Tobio, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Eventual Smut, How Do I Tag, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Omega Hinata Shouyou, Omega Kozume Kenma, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Scenting, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-09-20 22:26:06
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 24,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17031108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GenericUnicorn/pseuds/GenericUnicorn
Summary: Shouyou has built a life for himself and found success in his career. He's ready to take the next step in his life towards courtship and possibly even mating, but best-laid plans often go awry.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is not beta’d. Hopefully I caught any errors or inconsistencies. If any are noticed please let me know.

Shouyou blinked at the black binder staring up at him, willing it to speak and reveal to him the answers to all his problems. Particularly the situation he now found himself in. A low, distressed whine bubbled up from deep within his chest - this sucked! 

He knew this day would come eventually...he had just never expected things to end up like this. 

But no. 

An official Scent Catalog from the Department of Alpha-Omega Affairs office rested neatly on his kitchen table. 

It was time. At least in the eyes of the DAOA. 

A letter with a way too fancy letterhead curtly explained that the omega has finally exhausted the maximum allotted deferrals for a Certified omega. As a Certified omega, it was time to fulfill his duty to the country, nay the world. 

Which would have been fine, truly, if not for the ridiculous man who lived one floor below him. 

Shouyou had never intended to defer his responsibility for as long as he had, only just enough to complete his schooling and begin his startup business. Trying to do that while in a courtship, mated, or heavy with child would have been difficult. The Counselors at the DAOA had agreed and supported his deferral requests for an opportunity to pursue his goals. 

The success he had met was unexpected but not unwelcome. Even more surprising was the glowing endorsements of the DAOA. Shouyou had been flattered that he had been issued additional deferments. Capturing the precious images of new life was apparently considered a great contribution to humanity according to an administrator at the Department. 

Apparently if the powers that be were impressed enough with someone, their work could be considered to be above the duties of those Certified to be fertile. If only temporarily.

An administrator overseeing one of his deferral applications had seen Shouyou’s work from a personal friend and had felt compelled to help the omega further his ambitions unhindered as much as they legally could. That was, unless Shouyou wished to voluntarily cease his deferments before exhausting them all. 

Shouyou had taken the additional deferrals happily, the extra leeway helping to facilitate his move to a better location. The large city he had relocated to was a hub of activity, the interconnected railways serving him well as a gateway to wherever his current client may reside. 

While there was an option of clients traveling to him to make use of his in-home studio, Shouyou preferred to travel to his clients home if they were agreeable to it. Most enthusiastically agreed to let Shouyou come to them. 

Photographing in a pregnant omega’s own environment always yielded better images; they were more comfortable and at ease in their own territory. For the clients seeking a more organic session, this was best. 

Shouyou being an omega himself gave a distinct edge. A fellow omega, Certified at that, was safe. Non-threatening. Being Certified also carried the connotation that he had no motive to attempt to steal away any pups, born or soon-to-be. When the time was right he could simply have one of his own. So his clients addresses were given freely upon request, mated pairs eager for their portraits to be taken. 

For all his hard work, Shouyou had a booming business for both maternity and newborn photography to show for it. Wildly popular, others had attempted to enter into the specialty. Being the first to receive an endorsement from the DAOA as well as various other media outlets made him the top pick though. With no shortage of clients and with a reputation built, Shouyou had warmed to the idea if seeking out a courtship. 

After settling into the city and enjoying success on a level he could never have imagined, in part due to the gracious extended deferral credits, the omega had reached out to the local Department branch to request a consultation for a curated Catalog. 

With his success, he had no doubt other alpha would agree to a mating simply for his finances or simply because an omega was requesting a courtship. Certified alphas still outnumbered their omega counterparts by two to one. Essentially omegas held control over the mate selection process because of the uneven numbers.

For a fee, the DAOA would curate selections by request to ensure pheromone compatibility. Shouyou hoped doing so would weed out alpha he had no interest in.  

The counselor he had worked with had warned him it could take some time to curate scent and pheromone samples to his own. Shouyou had submitted his request and went about his life waiting for his curated Catalog to arrive. It would take a while so no need to sit around twiddling his thumbs worrying when the book would arrive.

Then he had shown up. 

Moved right in as if his very existence wasn't disrupting the peaceful life Shouyou had worked so hard to build. As if his scent of cedar and woodsmoke didn't cling to the omega’s lungs and fill his head with cotton. Make him more of a spazz than usual. 

The alpha wasn't the most sociable of alpha Shouyou had ever met; their conversations were brief, but enjoyable. Shouyou wasn't sure if it was the alpha’s personality or the fact that he seemed to work so many hours. Eventually the omega settled on it was probably a little of both. 

The two would cross paths in the complex lobby on early mornings when Shouyou would need to travel a long distance to meet with a client, which tended to be fairly frequently. The alpha always looked tired. As if the coffee cup clutched within his hand hadn't quite touched his soul yet, if ever; as if drinking the scalding liquid was more of a habit than a help. But God, those blue eyes were something, even with they were bleary with sleep deprivation. The coloration was an oddity, something one just didn't encounter outside of newborn pups. To see an adult with such eyes was just...wow. Shouyou caught himself looking a little too long, too directly, than what would be considered polite or proper for an omega more times than he'd like to admit. 

And the alpha’s voice, holy crap. Whenever the alpha spoke, Shouyou’s heart fluttered and his breath hitched ever so so slightly. It was a deep timbre, rich and full with a confidence to it that made Shouyou weak in the knees. 

The alpha didn't seem overly fond of lengthy chitchat, but to his credit he never seemed overly annoyed, because Shouyou knew those mornings they ran into each other that he was babbling. Pure word vomit is what was happening; the most asinine of questions that came to mind falling from his lips. Anything to get the alpha to talk, however briefly, because the alpha’s answers were just so infuriatingly short but his voice so infuriatingly delicious. Judging by the sly gleam in those blue eyes, Shouyou suspected some of the clipped responses were on purpose. 

One morning Shouyou had purposefully taken the wrong train line just to continue talking with the alpha, to be near him for a little longer. His client for that day hadn't been very amused by his tardiness, but a nice discount had placated the mother-to-be of very active triplets. She had been so pleased with the final product that she and her mate had reached back out to request a newborn session. 

Which is how he found himself up at this ungodly hour preparing to leave for the long trip ahead, on his day off no less, in order to squeeze this woman into his very full schedule of clients. 

Any other day he would be excited. 

Excited to spend time with brand new pups, capturing sweet moments not only of them but the interactions of their dam and sire. Excited to have a run-in with the alpha - _Kageyama Tobio_ \- he thought with a rush. He had learned the alphas name the previous week after panicking over the realization he had never bothered to ask the past few months since he had met the alpha. 

That stupid smirk the omega received should have made him mad when he finally asked on their way to the train, but it hadn't. Not when a hearty laugh had followed the omega’s exasperated expression from forcing the question out of his mouth--

_“I was wondering when you were going to ask, Shouyou.” Kageyama had replied._

_“Well, I--Hey! How do **you** know **my** name!?” _

_Kageyama had fixed him with a look, almost incredulous, “Hinata Studios, right?”_

_At that moment the train had arrived, the alpha stepping unceremoniously off the platform and through the open doors. Hinata was certain he looked like a fish, mouth agape and ears burning red in embarrassment. Plastered right on the back of his Polo is the embroidered logo for his business._

_Absolutely mortified he manages to still shout out just as the train doors are starting to close: “Wait! What's your name!”_

_He catches the alpha’s reply before the doors snap shut, the train pulling away as the alpha smirks at him from the window. His brain comes to a screeching halt moments later over the realization that Kageyama had addressed him used his given name. The alpha had taken it upon himself to search up the omega’s business, probably looked at his personal website, and learned him name from there. But what did it mean? Was he curious of the business or did the alpha have a genuine interest in what his name was? Was he too embarrassed to ask? What!?--_

Shouyou hadn't been able to focus for the remainder of that day and he couldn't even find it in himself to be mad about it, just excited. 

But all excitement was gone now. 

The Catalog had been delivered a few days prior. Shouyou had ripped into it after reading the sender address. He was certain Kageyama’s scent would be in there, it had to be. The way he was reacting to the alpha had to mean something and there was no bond mark on the alpha’s neck. 

But Kageyama’s scent wasn't in the Catalog. 

It meant one of two things: Kageyama was in a courtship or he wasn't Certified. 

Either way the outcome was the same: he wasn't going to be Shouyou’s alpha. Shouyou’s chance was over before it even started.

Panicked, Shoyo sent a rambling letter requesting an additional deferral. Anything to give him some more time to figure out what to do, a little more time. The official response came hot the heels of his request. Shouyou could have sworn he had a few more deferrals remaining but apparently not. 

Certified omega were required to mate and bond with Certified alpha. Extra deferrals and exemptions aside, that rule was an absolute. The DAOA had been known to dole out harsh punishments to offenders. 

One recent case resulted in a death penalty of the non-Certified party and the surgical removal of the bonding gland from the Certified one with an additional sentence of alternative omega duties. 

Given the global birth crisis, Shouyou understood the need for Certified pairings. He photographed the products of the government's mating policies, afterall; saw the beauty of new life that resulted from the regulations. 

It didn't mean he had to like it. Especially considering any previous interest in alphas was platonic at best. To have found one that piqued his interest and said alpha not even be a potential option...it was upsetting. Evidently out of deferrals, the DAOA would be expecting a response from him.

Shouyou heaved his large duffle over his shoulder with a heavy sigh. He tsk’d to himself halfway down the hallway, returning to grab his rolling suitcase. Today was going to be so difficult to remain focused. 

On the elevator once more he slapped his cheeks in an attempt to shake himself from his haze. He needed to focus, he had a job to do. Photographing three squirmy newborn pups at once wasn't going to be an easy feat and this particular client expected the very best. 

Maybe a downside to his reputation was how much it preceded him. Maybe he should take a page out of Kageyama’s book and learn how to scowl more...no no no! Shouyou shook his head...he was ready for this day to be over already so he could crawl back to his nest and wallow in his self pity. 

Pressing the button to have the elevator take him down, Shouyou barely contained his groan of frustration when the evil metal box stopped before even making it down one floor. 

Only one person in this entire complex was ever awake this early besides him. That person lived one floor below him. 

“Fuck my life.”

The curse slipped easily from the omega’s lips as he let his head fall back against the elevator wall with a dull thud. If he wasn't in such a state Shouyou would be more distressed over his foul language. His dam had raised a good omega, cussing was not becoming in the slightest! 

“Good morning to you, too.” 

As soon as that smoothe timbre reached his ears, Shouyou wasn't able to hold back the frustrated groan that wrenched its way from his throat. Eyes peek open to take in the sight of Kageyama nursing a cup of coffee that both of them know won't do the alpha any good. 

Fuck. 

In that moment Shouyou has never been more jealous of a piece of cardboard in his entire life. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A big thank you to [ Virus420x ](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Virus420x/pseuds/Virus420x) for beta reading this chapter!

The city was an interesting place, he supposed. As interesting as living amongst a perpetually moving, writhing mass of congealed consciousness could be. Sometimes if he thought about it too hard it made him itchy, the constant milling of souls more akin to that of a swarm of insects rather than civilized society.

He had once been a rising star in athletics. At his peak there were bidding wars between organizations once his old contract was up for renewal. An unexpected injury weeks before closing negotiations kept those dreams from becoming reality, though. Months of rehabilitation following an intense surgical procedure left him medically clear for only recreational sport. Dreams of a professional career would be out of the question, the old injury incapable of withstanding the continuous intense training required for professional athletes.

After the abrupt end to his athletic career, team owners were still quick to snap him up into their ranks. Often hailed for his brilliance and game sense, Tobio found himself cultivating the dreams of others on the court rather than himself. He did that for a few years, producing season after season, year after year, of champions. Little humdrum country boys catapulted into the stratosphere of wealth and fame; Tobios own success, to his chagrin, much more muted. The brass, delighted with his success, began working him up the hierarchy until the alpha found himself an executive with a seat on the board of directors.

Tobio was now a self-made man and the pride of his small hometown who, at the time of his injury, mourned alongside him what should have been the death of his career in sports. For holidays or special occasions he’d return home. Smile nice and pretty for the local press and maybe write a check for a children’s hospital or something then high-tail it out of there before anyone could figure out their hero wasn’t all he was cracked up to be.

By all accounts he was the definition of triumph over tragedy. A comeback kid with a Hollywood ending of opulence and wealth. He was at the top, but the alpha felt as though he were rock-bottom.

Money couldn’t buy happiness.

But it _could_ buy him an expensive as shit high-rise apartment, occasional nights strung out, and a good lay.

They were all the same anyway. Any attempt at trying to develop a spark into a flame always dissolved quickly. Tobio put on a brave face, but at the root of it he was a failure of his own success and of his own taciturn personality. If his natural irritability didn't turn someone off in a heartbeat, they'd usually try to stick around long enough to reap the benefits of a man with money to burn.

So he just stopped trying, never bothered with his Certification license with the Department of Alpha-Omega Affairs office. With certified alpha outnumbering the omega two-to-one, his negligence flew under the radar with ease. Certifieds never bothered with him anyway, quick to ask his credentials once having a taste of his sour attitude, so why bother on his part? Not when there were a bounty of un-certified, unbonded available.

For too many mornings to count he had woken in a stupor, eyes bloodshot and the world still tilting on its axis from the remnants of alcohol lingering in his veins. Some mornings there was a warm body tucked away in his bed, whereupon he’d promptly throw them out on their ass, jaded and completely unwilling to deal with the clingy behavior that'd follow should he entertain the omega in his bed for even a moment. A lot of those omegas cried on their walk of shame, automatically assuming the knotting of the previous night meant they'd cinched an alpha’s coattails to ride. Those poor souls who hadn’t the foresight to read the alpha’s intentions always had the most cloying of scents, bitter and acrid; it made him want to sneeze. He hated sneezing.

Other times the nightly thrill would thankfully be long gone, stale cigarette smoke hanging heavy in the air and cold sheets his only companion in the quiet of the early morning light.

He was in a controlled spiral, hiding his demons well enough to still maintain the ability to wade in the familiar swill of sin he had come to know.

Then one morning the comfortable rhythm he’d settled into was disrupted by a boisterous omega with red hair and loud voice at odds with his small stature. He truly was something, the human personification of a whirlwind if there ever was one.

Their first meeting came in the form of banging and yelling at the alpha’s apartment door. Tobio recalled stumbling half-naked out of his bed in a haze of confusion, which quickly morphed into anger once his mind registered that it was three in the fucking morning. Wrenching the door open so hard it slammed against the adjacent wall and growling obscenities through his teeth, he hadn’t even attempted to restrain the pheromones dripping with his anger from rolling off of him in waves.

“What!?” He had barked, watching with some small satisfaction the startled look on the guys face, how he stiffened once the brunt of the alphas anger hit him.

Slack-jawed for a moment and eyes wide taking in the alpha’s form, the small male narrowed his gaze just so, suspicion clear and demanding: “What are you _doing_ in there?”

For a moment Kageyama was certain this was some sort of elaborate joke. That or the guy was as fucked up as he was a few hours ago. But a quick assessment of the air between them revealed a scent unmuddled by alcohol or otherwise.

It was pure and light, citrusy with a hint of sugar; definitely an omega. Likely virginal judging by how clean it was. Studying the man before him, it was a logical assumption: tiny, large eyes, full lips, soft looking hair and clear, supple skin. Clearly embarrassed and not solely because he managed to mistake the wrong apartment as his own.

“I live here?” the reply came out more of a question than a statement. Those big eyes became impossibly larger, the omega’s face flushing a brilliant shade of red.

“W-what floor is this?”

The alpha just continued to stare, unwilling to reply because watching this stranger squirm under his gaze was too satisfying to end. They held each other's gaze for a moment before the omega’s focus flickered away and downward. He flushed impossibly redder before yelling out, “Oh god! Why are you naked!?”

Really? Tobio ran the large of his palm across his face.

“Listen, dumbass,” Tobio leaned against the doorframe, arm stretched high above his head in a attempt to show just how exasperated he was with this whole situation, “It's three in the goddamn - ”

“ _Language!_ ”

Tobio resisted snickering; the little redhead looked absolutely scandalized.

“-- _God_. _Damn_. Morning,” Tobio pressed onward through the omega’s indignation, inching forward into the others space and voice dropping an octave, “You're clearly on the wrong floor.”

Those honey eyes were all over the place now, raking down the alpha’s exposed chest to his shoulders and arms, settling a little too long where black boxers sat too low on the alpha’s hips. Finally they flickered back up, fixated on the alpha's eyes but mouth still unable to form words.

“Oi, dumbass!” Tobio snapped his fingers in an attempt to break the strangers daze, “Are you just going to stand there all night or--”

“I'm not like _that_!”

Face red and ears dusted a light pink, the omega huffed away. Already on the elevator before he could get another word in edgewise.

Tobio half wondered if he had dreamed the entire thing after dragging himself back out of bed the following morning. Meeting the omega on the elevator while nursing a steaming cup of black coffee proved otherwise.

It was awkward. The entire fifty flight decent was encased in complete silence aside from the irritating chime to indicate each passing floor. Generic elevator music flitting softly from some hidden speaker certainly wasn’t helping either. The omega refused to meet his gaze, though the alpha caught the redhead casting glances his way a few times. Each time resulted in a tiny squeak and the omega suddenly finding the floor utterly fascinating.

There was a strange feeling bubbling up in the alpha’s chest. Amusement over the omega’s embarrassment, how cute it was. And Tobio had never used cute as an adjective in his entire life.

Just as they approached the bottom floor, Tobio broke the silence: “You know, if you wanted to look at me, you could just use the elevator. It's reflective.”

The omega had outright jumped, startled like a child discovered with their hand in the cookie jar. A shrill shriek sounded and then he was off, stumbling over his own two feet while shouting, “Have a good day, sir!”

Tobio couldn't remember the last time he had laughed. Head tilted back, the sound coming from him was foreign: full and unrestrained, almost maniacal in its intensity. By the time he'd calmed down he was winded and his chest was aching.

He managed to catch a glimpse of the logo on the omega’s back as the other fled and spent the train ride to his office in the center-city searching the business.

Over time, their interactions became much less strained, enjoyable even. Anticipating meeting the omega first thing in the mornings was strange, finding himself disappointed on the off chance that the omega wasn't already on the elevator all the more so.

Tobio swore some mornings that he could almost see the energy thrumming just below the smaller male’s skin, haphazardly contained and poised to explode at any given moment in a flurry of tinkling laughs and wild, gleaming smiles. Shouyou was like a roman candle: loud and bright and glorious, lighting up the night sky and instilling a sense of childhood awe back in the alphas withered soul.

At the same time it kind of pissed him off.

How could someone be that happy and energetic all the time? More importantly, how could someone talk so much all the time? On more than one occasion he honestly wondered how the omega hadn’t passed out. Frequently the alpha had difficulty pinpointing when the other took a breath in between ideas.

Shouyou would talk about any and everything from the mundane to the extraordinary. The little omega was a one-man wellhouse of conversations. Tobio found himself actually putting in effort to converse with the little ball of energy, if only to force the omega to take a gulp of air. Seriously, how could someone talk that freaking much?

As exhausting as it was, it was a nice change of pace from the humdrum of his rinse-and-repeat life.

Interacting with the omega, or Hinata Shouyou as he came to learn, came incredibly easy. Even if the omega did do the lionshare of the talking. Which was impressive, considering Tobio typically had to force himself to interact with others outside of a professional basis.

So walking onto the elevator that morning to see a distressed Shouyou was not what he had been expecting. The omega always had a bright smile and cheerful hello waiting for him, and the innocent little thing never cursed.

“Good morning to you, too.”

Another groan from the omega had Tobio pausing and taking a sip of his coffee in an effort to obscure the frown marring his face. Shouyou was peering at him with eyes half open, facial expression drawn taut and hands white knuckled about the duffle slung across his shoulders.

They hadn't had a silent elevator ride since their very first meeting and he wasn't especially keen to repeat the experience. He'd grown keen on the omega’s cheerful disposition. And whatever this was was disconcerting.

“So…”

Fuck he sucked at this.

Shouyou wore an expression Tobio couldn't even begin to decipher. Nose scrunched up and brows drawn together, the omega could easily be in pain or just really frustrated. The other’s scent offered no clues.

“I'm fine.” The omega worried his lower lip for a moment, seemingly conflicted on what to say next.

“I-um,” Shouyou rubbed the back of his head with a smile that didn't reach his eyes, “Just a...lot...going on, I guess.” Tobio didn't miss the way the omega sucked in a deep breath, exhaling slowly, “You're up early. I thought you usually get to go in late this day of the week?”

“Errand at the Department,” Tobio swore he saw the omegas expression falter, skin visibly paling.

“Is that so!” Shouyou was shifting on the balls of his feet, clearly becoming antsy and watching the elevator floor count with rapt attention. He looked ready to bolt the moment the doors opened.

“Yeah,” Tobio began, “Listen, I needed-no, wanted..uh, fuck, I--”

“ _Language_.”

At least some of the omega’s spirit fired back over his slip-up.

A cheerful chime sounded, the elevator settling at its destination. Predictably the omega quickly stepped forward only to stop abruptly, hesitating. There was so much conflict in his eyes and Tobio hated it.

He scowled as he downed the rest of his coffee in one singular gulp, mouth lighting up from the influx of the scalding drink. Tobio quickly compromised with himself: he’d only half-way chicken out.

“Listen, I know you're busy,” Stepping after the omega he was grateful to see him stay grounded where he stood, “You mentioned a last minute job so…” Shouyou squawked at the alpha snatching his phone out of his hand, “I'll catch up with you later, yeah?”

A few taps later Tobio had entered his name and number and sent a quick text to himself to obtain Shouyou’s contact.

Before losing his resolve and making more of a fool of himself, Tobio murmured a hasty goodbye, stepping past the omega and down the lobby corridor. The doorman at the building’s entrance opened the door as he approached. Not sensing the omega’s presence behind him he chanced looking back. Shouyou remained rooted in the same spot, hand clenched tightly around his phone and staring at it.

Tobio could only hope that was a good reaction.

He didn't exactly know what he was doing, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to get this out before the Christmas holiday hits. I don't plan on getting much of anything done in the coming days besides eating my body weight in carbs and tearing into some presents. Christmas Eve-Eve is a thing in my family. We start the festivities extra early! Hope everyone's holiday is merry and bright this year! 
> 
> Comments and constructive thoughts always welcome!


	3. Chapter 3

This was not happening. Surely this was some sort of nightmare conjured up by his overactive imagination. He knew he should have bolted the moment those elevator doors had opened, but he had been stupid and hesitated. And then _that_ had happened. Shouyou felt his nose start to tingle and his throat constricting as hot tears started well up into his vision.

A lot of his initial pull had been instinctual. He had always been decent at pushing aside his base desires. Outside of that though, Tobio was unlike any alpha he had ever met.

He had been foolish in allowing himself to become infatuated with that alpha. He barely knew the man, but in the short span that he’d known him had become enamored with the taciturn nuances the man had. From his gruff demeanor and dry humor to shallower reasons regarding the alpha’s looks, because good lord was he good looking, Shouyou’s omega wanted. Wanted to be near the other, to hear his voice, fill his lungs with the heady scent of pine and woodsmoke and grow light headed from it.

In general alphas tended to act a certain way around omegas. It was instinctual as much as it was self-serving, and for many omegas the behavior would probably be seen as charming. But Shouyou wasn’t content with charming; he held no interest in pleasantries or conventional behavior expected of alphas. Far too traditional and subdued for his comparatively bold temperament.

Any elder would balk at him. Uncouth and improper they would say, with his overabundance of energy and and boisterous, excitable disposition. Some had gone as far as to label him as lofty with the way he steadfastly avoided his genetic destiny, the conscious decision seen as sacrilegious - what greater honor in life could be bestowed than to have been blessed with the ability to bring forth life?

It wasn't like he never wanted a mate or even opposed to a family. Those things merely came with self-imposed conditions before he committed to them. To Shouyou those conditions were simple enough: to be able to provide for himself and an alpha secure enough in their pride to not feel threatened by it.

Growing up he had bore witness to his mother’s struggles to maintain the household after his sire had passed away. The poor woman, rest her soul, relegated herself to rut centers in order to make ends meet so her children would not be removed from the home. While he loved and respected his mother for committing to that, he refused to set himself up for that possibility in his own future.

With his primary goal accomplished, that had left finding a suitable alpha.

Shouyou wanted someone real. Real and unfettered and accepting of his choices. Alpha were notorious for their pride and so many of them held to the notion that any omega, at least certified ones, would find doing anything outside of homemaking abhorrent. Decisions and finances almost always fell to the head of household, and the expectation would be once bonded Shouyou would give up his fanciful ideas to settle down and maintain the home. For the less scrupulous, he would be accepted simply because of his money which came with its own host of issues; should children result from a union, Shouyou very well couldn't do everything.

The omega had no desire to be coddled and cooed at like a child, much less treated like one when trying to make even simple decisions. It was insulting and demeaning; he might not be the sharpest crayon in the box, but he wasn't a complete idiot either. His thriving business was proof enough of that. He also had no desire to be someone's golden ticket to an an easy life.

Shouyou had been biding his time for a while, becoming discouraged by alpha he had met with on occasion. He had resigned himself to the eventuality of a catalog selection and dealing with the repercussions of that when Tobio had moved into the apartment below him.

Tobio was everything and more. He was brusque and intimidating, sure, but beneath that hardened exterior laid a sharp, intelligent mind with a wicked tongue to go along with it. The alpha was tantalizing in so many ways that it made Shouyou’s chest ache from his heart fluttering so much.

Falling into this infatuation and being fully cognizant of it was startling. Months had passed and the infatuation hadn’t waned, but also in that time the two had only been dancing around each other. The catalog request had been a desperate attempt at getting things moving along and see where things could go.

Now Tobio decides to just up and do this?

The catalog would be much easier to come to terms with if _whatever that was_ hadn’t happened. Now Shouyou was a turbulent mix of happy, confused, and frustrated. This was all too much to deal with right now.

Gripping his phone tightly, Shouyou blinked rapidly as his mind registered the hot stripes of tears carving singular paths down his cheeks. His head snapped side to side, physically attempting to shake himself from his thoughts.

Huffing, Shouyou straightened his back, steeling himself to press onward with his day. Avoidance would serve him best for the time being; he had things to do and places to be today.

~~**\-------------------------** ~~

The day had turned dreary and cold not long after mid-morning. Ominous gray and purple clouds billowing in a darkened sky made haste in opening their floodgates to a heavy continuous downpour, thunder and lightning peppering the skies and gusts of wind making the train sway along its tracks.

Arriving at his destination his client had been frantic, scent distressed and fretting over her very much awake and cranky pups. It had taken her a few moments to realize her guest was drenched and struggling under the weight of his luggage. Thankfully she did eventually take note of his plight and assist with dragging his belongings inside, flitting into the recesses of the house to fetch him a warm fluffy towel and a cup of warm tea.

Shouyou had remained chipper and optimistic as he ruffled his hair in the soft cotton, informing her she was the only client of the day and to let the little ones feed and have time to settle while he set up his equipment.

After the pups were settled and sleepy things had went well for a while. From individual portraits to darling group clusters, Shouyou was giddy with each position change. The dam lacked the confidence to pose them properly and didn't trust her clumsy alpha to assist, so was content to allow Shouyou do as he pleased under her watchful eye.

Most new mothers were understandably uneasy with strangers around their newborns. Given that he was working with a first-time dam, to triplets no less, Shouyou reasoned he would likely be the same way if he was in her shoes.

The woman’s alpha nearly gave him a heart attack when the alpha nearly dropped one of the infants. One of the pups had become a bit squirmy, and Shouyou had softly requested one of the parents come assist soothe them. He could only do so much, whereas a parents presence and scent often worked magic when Shouyou’s own cooing and gentle touches were no longer effective.

Evidently soothing a newborn to the alpha meant scooping the unruly pup into the air and bouncing it around, its poor head beginning to bounce around like a bobble head. Horrified Shouyou had watched, stunned for a moment, the alpha continue to fumble with the infant as it became all the more restless from the rough treatment before intervening.

_“Newborns don't have neck control!”_

Shouyou all but hissed at the man. The alpha had gone wide-eyed, freezing with the babe held in midair, the poor thing yipping in displeasure. Nostrils flaring at the omegas distress and quickly glancing at Shouyou’s flailing arms, the alpha promptly handed the angry infant back over.

Thankfully the dam had been distracted in the kitchen preparing lunch and had missed the entire mishap, though she was suspicious once she turned only to see the omega’s paled face, cradling her pup and whispering lowly into the whimpering child's ear while the sire stood by with a dejected look on his face

It only went downhill from there. As they moved on to parent and pup shots, the alpha soon reined destruction down on his makeshift set.

First to go were the softboxes, that lumbering mass of an alpha knocking them down and crushing them under his giant feet. Undeterred, Shouyou resorted to his backup umbrellas. Those quickly fell victim to the alpha not long after being set up. Shouyou was still puzzled as to how they became so ripped and bent out of shape, but regardless he was still left with nothing to help him modify his light source.

The dam had been livid with her mate. Those pups easily picked up on the tension, little faces scrunching up unhappily and the beginnings of pitiful whines starting up with each angry influx of their mother's voice. Diffusing the situation was easy compared to convincing the couple that, yes, those light boxes did, in fact, cost that much _each_ and, no, they could not just replace the cheap umbrellas alone as compensation.

Now he was left to try and salvage the remainder of the session after Godzilla Alpha trashed his equipment. No doubt the editing would take hours to correct the poor lighting the weather had afforded. And that clumsy alpha, whenever a burst of light had decided to grace them, always seemed to have moved or blinked or _something_. At least the bulk of the work had been done while he still had his light boxes and backdrops, because that idiot frequently managed to knock the background rig down too.

Finally finished, Shouyou had left with worst headache and praying to every deity he could think of for those pups to survive their fathers destructive tendencies. But with the end of the session came the end of his distraction from the events of the morning. Enclosed within the warm cabin of the train, the entirety of his trek back into the city consisted of his mind flitting from his clients session to the stoic alpha, overactive imagination interjection the man into hypotheticals.

The man was a little awkward at times, but surely he wouldn't be a walking death trap to their children. Trying to envision what those large hands cradling a small pup would look like was an experience; would his alpha soften at the behest of a small infant? Or even Shouyou himself?

Those precious few moments where the hard facade cracked always managed to make his stomach churn with butterflies and steal his breath away. Those times he had caught sight of those straight white teeth, the omega seemingly the cause of the beautiful sight, had burned its way into the omega’s memory and Shouyou found himself trying to illicit those responses from the alpha. As impassive and callous as he could be, Shouyou just knew those walls would crumble given the right circumstances, and Shouyou wanted to be the reason his alpha could let those moments become more consistent.  

Wait, crap. No, he couldn't let himself go there. He needed to focus, he needed to stop with this nonsense, he needed to--

“Any particular reason you're trying to murder your mouse?”

Kenma had been observing his friend carefully for the majority of the evening, gauging any sort of reaction he could draw from the other omega. His friend had arrived abruptly and announced earlier in the day, but that was pretty typical of the redhead. At first nothing had seemed amiss, the omega chatty about his day and the antics of his client’s mate while setting up his computer to try and get some editing done. As time ticked away Kenma had noticed the tense posture and simmering agitation, Shouyou growing eerily muted until Kenma could stand it no longer.

The two had been good friends for a number of years, having met in college and subsequently forming a friendship from their time in shared college dorm. It had been interesting living with a person like Shouyou.

His entire life Kenma had been content to quietly exist in the background of things. There were a handful of close friends in his life, something that more than mollified his personal social needs quota. The tiny redhead had disrupted that spectacularly, dragging Kenma out of his comfort zone with his boisterous disposition and seemingly unending well of energy.

It had been tiring in the beginning just being in the others presence, though now that he was accustomed to the sun, suddenly being without that facet of Shouyou’s personality was unnerving.

“Awfully quiet over there,” Kenma swore he saw Shouyou’s left eye twitching, “It's kind of freaking me out.” 

“I can't have a bad day, Kozume!?”

Shouyou was tapping furiously at his phone now after it had buzzed, causing the redhead to jolt in his seat. Brows scrunched up angrily as he accosted the poor device, Shouyou dropped it harshly onto the table once his abuse was deemed complete. The phone buzzed once more almost instantly, a strangled noise escaping Shouyou before he was once again furiously tapping away at the screen of his phone before tossing the abused thing to the floor this time.

An audible _thunk_ could be heard as Shouyou planted his forehead to the table and carding his fingers through his mop of red locks.

Kenma’s eyes widened at the sudden outburst, resisting the urge to correct the name Shouyou had used. The two had been on a given-name basis for years; Kenma had also been a Kuroo for some length of time as well, but the blond reasoned taking a jab at his friend for use of his former surname would be in poor taste given his friend’s state.

On one hand Kenma could list how many times he had witnessed Shouyou be so distraught that it pulled snappish behavior from the usually upbeat omega. Becoming perturbed simply wasn’t in Shouyou’s repertoire, and when it did happen the omega naturally was ill-equipped to handle it with grace. Whatever his friend was dealing with ran deeper than just a difficult day and some destroyed equipment.

He barely had time to express as much before Shouyou was snapping again, voice muffled from his face squished against the desk surface: “And no, I don't want to talk about it!”

“Okay.”

Shouyou jerked into a sitting position then, back straight and shoulders tense, “I...Kenma, um…I’m sorry.” Deflated and shoulders slumping the redhead continued, “It’s just…I...”

“I said okay,” Kenma didn't miss how his friend refused to meet his eye, “If you change your mind, I'll listen.”

Fists clenching and unclenching, a million expressions flitted across the omegas face but none offered any clues to Kenma on how to help his friend. Likewise the omega’s scent was a jumbled mix of emotions, making it difficult to pinpoint exactly what might be bothering his friend. The only thing Kenma could be certain of was that Shouyou’s usual scent was so far buried underneath the turbulent emotions wafting from his friend that it could scarcely be found.

Finally with a resigned huff came a clipped reply, “I want to talk about it but I don't.”

Shouyou was spinning in his chair now, something Kenma recognized as having something to detract himself with for however brief a time. While he acknowledged the coping mechanism, he sort of wished his friend would stop doing it. Tetsurou had paid a lot of money for that chair and they were both fond of it. Knowing Shouyou, the omega would eventually spin the thing right off its axis if given the chance.

“Then generalize,” He tried gently, “You don't have to go into specifics.”

Shouyou blessedly stopped the twirling motion by planting his feet to the floor.

“What would you do if you wanted something you couldn't have?”

“Depends on what it was that I wanted.” Shouyou was sporting a withering look at that so the blond continued, “If it was important I'd do whatever I could to get it.”

“What if you could theoretically have it but only for a short time?”

“Anything is better than nothing, I guess.”

Shouyou seemed contemplative of that for a moment before nodding his agreement and snatching up his phone once more. Soon after Shouyou began to pack up his things.

Kenma couldn't help but wonder if the advice he had given was bad or not, especially after his friend made it known he was going to be traveling home this evening rather than staying the night. Tetsurou never minded Shouyou dropping in like this; it had even been the alpha’s suggestion to have a guest room made up for when their friend inevitably popped in unannounced.

Shouyou smiled at him, a little less brightly than the blond was used to, but eyes bold and determined. Assurances were given that if he hurried he could catch the last train out of the prefecture and that he had traveled this late at night numerous times before.

The apartment door clicked shut softly as his friend departed. Kenma stared at the entrance, silently willing his friend to return for the night and wishing he had pressed the other omega to fully confide in him what was so troubling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone had a wonderful new year!
> 
> Constructive thought and comments always appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

Situated just inside the city center, the looming limestone building sat amongst several other, much smaller individual annexes belonging to the Department. A majority of the city would agree that the building was a stunning piece of architecture with its combined masonry and inlaid metal cladding. The spire of the building served its purpose well: drawing the eye towards the agency as an ever-present physical reminder to the country at large. Inside, the masons and designers had spared no expense with the sprawling red granite walls and custom ironwork light fixtures. 

Other government offices paled in comparison to the lavish details of the main Department agency or any satellite campus affiliated with the Department. Tobio held no illusions that it was a not-so-subtle expression of iron might: the decadent unbridled details spoke of the power the Department held. The sheer magnitude of opulence the Department threw into their facilities compared to other branches of the government silently asserted their ability to enforce continued compliance amongst the populace. 

Periodic publications from the Department boasting new matches along with birth announcements would be delivered by the courier to Tobio’s residence. He never paid them much mind, more often than not the glossy newsletters were tossed right into the trash bin as soon as they were delivered. But the Disciplinary Decrees did draw his attention; there was something morbidly fascinating reading convicted crimes along with corresponding punishments. If there was a particularly interesting or unusual name printed he would take the time to search their name in the DAOA database so as to put a face to printed words. 

Needless to say, Tobio preferred to keep a wide berth of the Department unless absolutely necessary. He had probably only visited the branch a half dozen times or so, a majority of those visits occurring during his adolescent years after he presented his secondary dynamic. 

There had never really been a point in seeking out certification. The entirety of his youth had been consumed with the sport he was gunning to turn into a livelihood and university was an experience unto itself before his brief foray into the world of professional athletics. Tobio had pursued his dreams to the fullest extent, loving the sport more than some vague nameless omega; while the prospect appealed mildly, his life was far too busy to entertain any of those thoughts. Besides, with the ratio of certified individuals as skewed as it was, declining the process had been essentially effortless. 

What the Department truly needed was more certified omega. An alpha forgoing certification and registration was hardly a bother to the agency; there were more than enough alpha already on the registry to meet quota so Tobio never thought twice about it. If anything it made some poor pencil-pushers job easier: one less record to maintain, afterall. 

So actually visiting the prefectures main branch voluntarily was nothing short of a miracle on his part. Tobio supposed that spoke volumes of the person who spurred this expedition to the agency. 

The waiting area was just as he remembered it: polished and glimmering in a way that seemed a little  _ too _ clean, too immaculate. The aging secretary he recalled from his youth had since been replaced by a young, wide eyed thing who looked ready to flee as soon as she noticed him approaching the front desk. It was readily apparent the girl was selected for this position solely based on her looks; after floundering and gaping like a fish at the alpha, she finally set to work at procuring the paperwork needed for his request, needing seek help from her supervisor no less than four times before handing everything over. 

He plopped bodily into one of the lobby’s numerous armchairs, eyeing the dumb woman behind the desk look frantically around the room before darting off somewhere. Out of spite he had asked her how long he could expect to be called back, as he ‘thought’ he had an appointment for today but ‘couldn’t remember,’ and would need to be on his way by a certain time if not. Clearly she didn’t know, even though there was a slender book with “APPOINTMENTS LOG” printed on it in plain sight, and was sprinting after her exasperated supervisor to get the information. 

With a resigned sigh, he opened his packet of papers to begin writing in the waiting margins. 

** ___________________________ **

He was restless, tossing and turning in his bed and unable to fall asleep. 

Earlier in the day he had paid a visit to the Department’s main branch, his appointment blessedly on time given the dunce running the front desk. The lab technicians and counselor that followed was much more qualified for their job, breezing him through the process with ease and answering his questions readily. 

From there the day his day had been uneventful. Work at the office was the usual: paperwork, a few individual meetings with other executives and some select players on probation for misconduct. Bored out of his mind in between tasks, more often than not Tobio found himself looking out of the floor length window of his private office.

It had become a habit of late, something he found himself doing more often since first meeting Shouyou. Keeping the little omega from his mind proved difficult; especially now that Tobio had taken the first step towards Certification. In general, Tobio was a fairly focused person; to be so distracted should have been more pressing than it was, but the alpha didn’t mind this distraction so much.

He was slightly irritated that the process would take so long. There was a backlog of applicants. Given the sheer number of alphas to omegas, that was hardly surprising; profiles had to be updated for existing registants annually and those profiles took priority over new applicants. On average, the counselor had told him, new applicants could expect anywhere from six to twelve weeks for registrations to be fully processed and certifications to be issued. Additional time was to be expected for profiles to become active in the state databases, further complicating seeking a courtship proposal. How arduous could it really be to verify his blood work and analyze a semen sample?

Once home Tobio had ascended the elevator alone; hardly unusual, but as of late it had become more infrequent. Just as their morning meetings had become routine, their homecomings had started to converge frequently as well.  For a few minutes Tobio had lingered in the lobby, half expecting the omega to come busting into the lobby and screeching about the cold wind and rain; only after a third curious glance from the doorman did Tobio finally press the button to hail the elevator. 

The silence of the confined space was made all the more unsettling as realization dawned on the alpha how fond he had grown of the noise and chatter the omega exuded. He was starting to loathe silence; starting to crave the incessant babbling of the other, as nonsensical as it could often be. 

More than once he palmed at the phone tucked away in his coat pocket, resisting the temptation of using the omega’s freshly obtained contact to text the other. Shouyou was a grown adult just as much as him and could take care of himself; the omega didn’t need someone checking in because nightfall was approaching. 

At least that’s what Tobio kept telling himself as the evening dragged on and the sun had completely vanished from the sky. It was already a dreary day to begin with, the suns rays obscured by dark clouds and heavy rains and winds making travel challenging. 

On nights when the two didn’t run into each other when returning home, Tobio could always expect to hear muffled noises through the ceiling when the omega did return home. It had once been grating because once Tobio had appreciated the quiet stillness of his home; now, though, hearing the omega stumble around his own home brought a lilt to his lips. Especially if the other happened to trip or something and hearing the fussing that followed; Shouyou was adorably clumsy in the mornings and especially in the evenings after working all day. He never failed to trip or drop something. Keeping a tally of the redhead’s mishaps had become something of a game for Tobio, as well as imagining the scene playing out in his mind's eye. 

Typically Shouyou would arrive home roughly an hour after Tobio did. So when that time frame passed the alpha made a concerted effort to not dwell on the matter at hand. As the night stretched on, so did the alpha’s patience. He was certain he sat in every chair in his home twice and was unsure how a hole hadn’t been paced into the carpet. 

Finally he resorted to sleep. Practically launching himself into the massive king mattress in a bid for blissful unconsciousness. 

Only sleep eluded him. 

He laid there for a while, staring up into the still darkness waiting for sleep. Tossed and turned, attempting to get comfortable. One minute he would be too cold, the next too hot. Checking the time only caused him to frown at the bright screen of his phone: nearly midnight and no signs that his neighbor had returned home for the night. He was probably staying with a friend or something, God knows someone as chatty as Shouyou likely had many friends, it was the  _ not knowing _ that bothered the alpha.  

Not knowing what else to do, he sent a simple message. Doing so was cathartic for all of two minutes before he began to anxiously wait for a reply back. 

And then it came, the shrill chime of the alert most certainly  _ not _ causing the alpha to jump:  **_[HeY??? Did u rly just send a 1 word txt!? Wtf]_ **

That ungrateful adorable little shit. Tobio frowned; he was trying, goddammit. 

**_{Well fuck me for trying to check in on you.}_ **

Tobio really hoped he was successful in making the omega flustered. Snickering, the alpha imagined the little redhead to be screeching or some other absurd reaction as the incoming alert chimed in rapid succession for each reply. Satisfied after several minutes of spaced out incoming messages that the omega wasn't dead or incapacitated, Tobio opted to forgo reading any of the messages and flipped his phone to silent. 

Conscious cleared, he turned over and welcomed a swift decent into sleep. 

 

** ___________________________ **

 

The banging was loud and unyielding, muffled yelling sounding off in between the pounding on the door. Groggily Tobio patted blindly around the bedside table until clasping around the chilled metal of his phone, squinting at the harsh glare when he tapped the power key to check the time. He'd managed to sleep for a little under two hours and had 4 unread messages. 

**_[Wats that supposed 2 mean!!!!?]_ **

**_[Hello!?]_ **

**_[Ur such a 💩]_ **

**_[U cant just say that & then ghost out!]_ **

Well that made him a little more awake. Especially  considering someone, and he had a suspicion of who, was waking him up at ass-o’clock in the morning. Texts and alcohol aside, this had a feeling of deja vu to it.

Opening the door revealed an angry little omega, cheeks puffed out and eyes alit with fire in their honey-colored depths, panting as if he had sprinted from the train station to the sky-rise apartment building. If Shouyou didn't have a penchant for these early morning shouting sessions Tobio might have had enough frame of mind to admire the site before him. 

“Wha-!” Shouyou was stammering, all former fire snuffed out of his person the instant the door weathering his blows opened, now pointing an accusatory finger at the alpha, “What is it with you and being naked!?” 

And then he lost it, head falling back to let loose a deep echoing laugh. This whole situation was absolutely ridiculous and he couldn't even be mad about it since he likely had brought it upon himself. 

“Stop laughing at me!” The expression on the others face only served to make the alpha laugh more. It took a few moments to calm himself and by then the omega was fuming quietly, pretty mouth set in a scowl and arms crossed over his chest defensively. 

“I live here?” Tobio scratched the back of his head, “And I'm not naked.” 

“You might as well be!” Came Shouyou quick reply, voice cracking on a high note and arms uncrossing to gesture wildly in the air,  “How are you not freezing?” 

“I was in bed until someone rudely started abusing my door,” Tobio stated flatly, hand now resting on his hip while his other arm supported himself against the door frame, “Is everything alright? It’s late.” 

“O-oh.” Shouyou was looking up at him, biting his lower lip while trying to decide how to continue, “Yeah, I...um...rough day, and...well.” Shouyou was looking off to the side, one arm slung across his body, had rubbing absentmindedly at the adjacent elbow, “Did...did you fall asleep or something after sending that text or…?” 

Tobio had had an inkling that Shouyou disliked being ignored. During their morning and evening conversations if Tobio was being purposely obtuse there was always an edge to the omega’s voice and a twitching at the corner of his mouth. As soon as Tobio would take it upon himself to resume the conversation there would always be a visible relaxing of the tension strung taught in the omegas shoulders. 

At the realization Tobio felt himself deflate a little, feeling like a right ass for being at least part of the reason the omega was in such a tizzy. Tobio never interacted much with the special population that Shouyou did on a daily basis, but he imagined it was likely stressful being trusted around something so precious and fragile as well at the parents. People today tended to guard their families with outright hostility at the slightest misstep. One evening their return home had converged, Tobio receiving in detail the eggshells the omega walked on that day. All the effort to remain neutral had still resulted in being snarled at by an overprotective sire. Shouyou, as hard as he tried, failed to hide the delicate tremors that would overcome his body every few minutes and his usually soft, sweet scent turned sour and acrid, fearful, in stark contrast to his carefully composed features. 

At the downcast expression the omega before him was sporting, Tobio felt his own protective instincts begin to rise up over the thought of someone possibly berating the smaller male to point of getting to his current state. Other times Shouyou had managed to keep himself together after a difficult day, to see him spiral like this was unnerving. Knowing he’d played a part in it, however so small, was unacceptable. 

So he’d own up to his actions.

“No, I was being a dick.” Tobio exhaled slowly, shifting his weight from one leg to the other, “Probably didn’t help the shitty day you had, right?” 

“Heh,” Said Shouyou, scoffing, “That’s an understatement.” Shouyou was looking at him again at least, face scrunched up in an unflattering grimace, “Sorry about...this...I’ll just...go, okay?” 

As he turned to leave Tobio’s hand snapped forward, catching the omega’s wrist. It felt so small beneath his hand, the alpha’s fingers easily wrapping around to overlap one another.  

“Hey - ”

“There you go with that one-word crap again.” Shouyou laughed then squawking when he realized the alpha was touching him, trying in vain to pull out of the grasp the other hand on his arm, “ _ What!? _ ” 

“What’s up with you? You were weird this morning and...” Tobio glanced down where he held the omega’s wrist, thumb starting to rub langid circles into the small soft gland there. “Whatever the fuck this is right now.” 

“If you were anyone else standing here right now they’d be dead for waking me up. But I like you...”  Adding to Tobio’s mounting confusion was the pitchy distressed whine he received so he hastily continued before the omega jerked away and bolted, “So start talking or snap out of it.” 

To his credit Shouyou stopped fidgeting, stilling to look up at Tobio from under those long eyelashes then down to where the alpha still held onto him. His cheeks were dusted pink and breathing slightly erratic, though it seemed he had made a decision once he looked up. A thousand emotions were flitting through his eyes, mouth opening to spill his secrets when Tobio cut him off, “But not out here.” Shouyou’s mouth snapped shut, teeth clicking together from the force.

“Nosey old bitch down the hallway never minds her own business.” 

An affronted  _ harumph  _ sounded at the opposite end of the hall, followed shortly by the unsubtle closing of a door. Shouyou snapped toward the sound then back to the alpha, face flushed red over being eavesdropped on. 

The tiny nod of acquiescence was all the alpha needed before hauling the omega forward and across the threshold of his home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter kicked my ass. Mid-way I resorted to playing "Tennessee Whiskey" on loop to put me in the head space to keep going. Bonus fact: I don't particularly enjoy country music, so at risk of torture to keep listening I had to finish the chapter.   
> (ノಠ益ಠ)ノ彡┻━┻
> 
> Special thanks to Virus420x for proofing this chapter and giving me the encouragement to follow through with posting it.


	5. Chapter 5

Leaving Kenma's to return home had been a sudden decision, the day’s cumulative frustration and upset finally bubbling over to where he had to do something. _Anything_. He needed answers, and he needed them now. Even if that meant traveling home in the middle of the night with no solid plan for what, exactly, he was going to do when he arrived home.

All he knew was in the split second it took to make his decision was that he was livid.

The morning encounter with Tobio along with dealing with his exhausting clients had been enough to fray his nerves to their breaking point. Tobio messaging him out of the blue and then ghosting out had what was remaining of his thin thread of sanity snapping.

Life could be beautiful but it could also be incredibly cruel, the situation he found himself in a harsh reminder of that. In a desperate bid to regain some semblance of control he had hastily gathered his things and took off for home.

He had to sprint to catch the last train, slipping through the bifurcated doors just as they were closing. Maybe that clumsy alpha trashing his equipment earlier in the day was a blessing after all: if his bag was full with its usual weight, Shouyou was certain he would have snagged on the doors.

A startled looking woman was eying him warily; he probably would be too in her position. Who wouldn’t be after bearing witness to some wild thing rushing onto the late night train, huffing and panting and doubled over at the knees from exertion? Shouyou tried smiling at the lady as he was attempting to catch his breath, but it was likely a crazed expression rather than a reassuring one from the way she ducked her head and unsubtly slid an additional seat away from the space he collapsed into.

He probably looked like a crazy person; and honestly, at this point, he was starting to feel like one.

**\--------------**

Pulling into the train station was but a flash in his memory; the doors of the railcar had scarcely started to open before the omega was wiggling his way through the space and taking off into the night. The entire trek home had consisted of his mind spinning on its axis, a million _what ifs_ consuming his thoughts in a maddening, unrelenting pattern.

Over the years Shouyou had worked diligently on his tendency to overreact. Maintaining his composure was needed in his line of work, not only to keep new dams calm but also their overprotective sires. One false move or misinterpreted action could send a session into a spiral and possibly an altercation; with his small stature and general disadvantage for fighting because of it, Shouyou preferred to avoid those outcomes.

But this whole situation had pushed him to his breaking point.

Having some semblance of control over his destiny had been a comfort; working the system until he placed himself in a favorable position financially before selecting a mate had ultimately been a means to end. A compromise. Shouyou might not have had complete control, but at least this way he had some iota of it.

Now all those plans were coming unraveled, in a single day no less, and it was upsetting - infuriating even.

At the heart of the matter Shouyou knew he only had himself to blame. If he had just stuck to the original plan, becoming attached to Tobio would have never been an issue.

When he requested that stupid catalog, Tobio had just been an existential concept: someone interesting, attractive even, but not someone he would ever see himself interested in. But over the past few months the alpha had wormed his way under his skin, all those conversations morphing into a mild interest until finally evolving into genuine endearment.

Shouyou may be a little air-headed at times, but he wasn’t dumb. He had noticed the omega that the alpha had those late night rendezvous with. Handsome and exuding confidence in a way that was so purely alpha, Shouyou couldn’t really fault Tobio in the amount of people that had likely graced the man’s bed. That understanding still hadn’t stopped Shouyou from scrunching up his nose at the intermingled scents he encountered a handful of times; the alpha’s attractive pheromones tainted by what his inner instincts started to view as competition.

One such instance had left him feeling ill, the combination of a different omega mixed with the pine and woodsmoke so vile he resorted to holding his breath until he was gasping for air as he escaped the elevator box.

But when those encounters began to trickle off, then completely subsided, Shouyou had _hoped_. The alpha was changing, ever so subtly, and it had made Shouyou giddy with each little development. Everything seemed to be lining up to be in his favor.

Then the catalog had shown up, something he had honestly forgotten about in the length of time he met and was getting to know the man. Tobio’s scent wasn’t in the book, but he wasn’t mated either. There also hadn’t been any strange omega in the building as far as he could tell. So just what was the alpha playing at?

Shouyou felt played. A right fool in all of this.

Taking out his aggression on the alpha’s door had helped some, yelling at the top of his lungs as well. Helpful all the way up until the alpha made an appearance. In his addled state he had conjured up visions of making a ruckus until the alpha caved, answering his summons and then screeching his demands for an explanation right there in the hallway.

Those plans had seemed a decent way to start until the alpha actually answered door. Half asleep and usually sleek hair a mess, he was stretched out along the frame and looking down at the omega with a softness in his eyes that made Shouyou squirm a little. If that didn't have him stalling in his tracks, the state of undress the alpha was in certainly did.

Shouyou felt his mouth go dry and his mind blank out.

This was about as bad as their first meeting...no this was definitely worse. With their first encounter the alpha at least had the decency to have a pair of sweatpants on. The black boxers the alpha was sporting clung to the man like a second skin; good god, he could see a clear outline of the man's cock, the fabric was so tight.

Fumbling for something to say Shouyou blurted the first thing that would roll off his tongue, “What is it with you and being naked!?”

Embarrassment quickly flared back to anger. While he hadn't expected a real answer out of his question, being laughed at was an unacceptable reaction. Stamping his foot he let the infuriating man know as much, another asinine question following.

The way Tobio had responded, snappy but playful, was not helping. Not in the slightest.

“Oh.” What an intelligent reply. Because of course he had been in bed. Hair messed up like that with only the tightest pair of boxers Shouyou had ever seen and what has to be a half chub, what else could it be, everything made sense. Even still, a small part of him needed to know before he ran away. Floundering for a second longer, he thought he mentioned something about his day, “Did...did you fall asleep or something after sending that text or…?”

He was not prepared for an apology. Expected the alpha to rub in his face all the illicit activities surely going on behind that door. Tobio looked like the type of person who would rather stab himself than apologize for anything. The alpha trying to ask about what was bothering him on top of everything else was too much. He could not anymore.

Time to bail out.

Only Tobio wasn't letting him, grasping his wrist and blasting him with a confession that ripped a distressed whine right out of his chest. Somehow the alpha was turning what should be his interrogation onto him. He should be ashamed at how easily the alpha had done it rather than ready to spill his guts right then and there. Had his mouth open and everything only to be snapping it back shut, mortified to learn their entire conversation had been privy to a third party.

When the alpha had offered to continue their conversation in private, of course he had agreed. Under those intense blue eyes, how could he not?

No sooner had he nodded his assent was the alpha tugging him forward, his feet stumbling over the lip of the threshold and the two scuffling around to maintain balance. Tobio kicking the door closed with a loud _whack_  enough to refocus Shouyou to demand: “What do you mean you like me?”

Tobio stilled, grip tightening around the omega that in no way was needed to keep the redhead on his feet. Looking down his nose at him, Shouyou had to crane his neck to catch a glimpse of anything other than the alpha’s chin.

It was Tobio’s turn to break their eye contact, words barely understandable from the way he mumbled: “Exactly what it sounds like.”

Yeah, if he wasn’t crazy before, he definitely was now. Upstairs the catalog was probably mocking him right now, ends flapping together in a hysterical clapping motion. Face squished against the alpha’s chest, Shouyou was torn between screaming and laughing, the resulting sound a garbled version of both and the entirety of his body shaking from the intensity of it. This day just kept getting worse and worse.

Finally he pulled back, as far as the iron hold the alpha had him in would allow at least, “You can’t just say things like that!”

“And why not?” At the tone in the alpha’s voice, Shouyou withered a little. The last thing he wanted to do was make the man mad. Shouyou was pretty sure he was upset enough for the both of them twice over. “You’d rather I lie about it?”

“Wha-no! Yes! I mean, no..I... _Argh_!”

Shouyou tried to bury his face in his hands, avoiding the need to look Tobio in the eye just a little longer, because he certainly had the man's attention now. Could almost feel that stern look of his boring holes through his skull, felt his arms loosen only to have large hands brace each of his shoulders and pull him back to force the conversation forward.

“Then which is it?”

“I don't _know_!”

“Jesus, fuck!” Tobio growled under his breath, giving the omega a gentle shake, “How do you not know? It's a yes or no question.”

Silence settled between them, heavy and awkward, Shouyou staring down at the alphas bare feet. Of course he wouldn't want Tobio to lie about something like that. But it wouldn't do any good now.

“Why? Are you with someone or something?”

Oh. Shouyou supposed he had said that last bit aloud. Tentatively he looked up from the shelter of his palms, squeaking at the expression being shot his way. If he had felt a fool a moment ago, Tobio was probably feeling the same right about now. Confessing to someone and then immediately assuming that person is involved with someone else? That would wound anyone's pride.

“No, no! It's not like that.” Shouyou gasped, he hadn't even noticed he was holding his breath, voice low and quiet and pitiful, “It's not like that at all. I, um, you…”

The alpha grunted, clearly unamused by the omega’s stalling, but forcing himself to remain patient as Shouyou attempted to gather his thoughts. His large hands were trailing goosebumps down Shouyou’s arms, the gentle up and down glide of his palms as soothing as it was putting him on edge. All of this hurt, honestly. Someone like Tobio, gruff and short tempered giving him the time he needed to form his words? Trying to comfort him even though the alpha could have no idea what was wrong? Those actions spoke volumes.

“You're not...you're not in my Catalog, so…” Shouyou finally spat bitterly. Best to get this over with quickly, no use in dragging it out any longer and furthering his suffering. “Even though I like you too, it's not like it matters!”

“Not in the Catalog?” Tobio parroted, confusion evident in the lilt in his voice and face sinking into an ugly scowl, “Well of course not, I just went to the Department today for registration.”

Shouyou blinked, cogs in his mind churning slowly over those words. Registration? Just today? Hands caught between his body and the alphas pressed against the wall of muscle in earnest, needing space to gawk up at the man.

“What!?”

Shouyou had been at a loss for words only a handful of times in his life. Slack-jawed the omega managed to babble his disbelief. Registering at Tobio’s age was the most ridiculous explanation he had ever heard. _Everyone_ had to register and go through the certification process.

Only those who passed were put on the official mate selection registry, but it was really only omega that typically worried about their placement. Infertility was rampant amongst his dynamic but for alphas the concern much less so. A more plausible explanation would be Tobio not being certifiable, impotent; it wouldn't fix the problem at hand, but that scenario would make far more sense than the man having avoided registering at all in the first place.

His outburst earned him his freedom from the alpha’s iron grip, Tobio’s countenance and scent speaking of his irritation more fluently than words ever could. Before he could say anything further, the alpha was stomping away down the hallway, grunting what sounded suspiciously like “I need a goddamn drink.”

“Hey! Wait!”

Shouyou ran after the alpha, grabbing his wrist to try and regain his attention. Tobio stopped, shaking off the omega’s hand to stare back at him. Shouyou huffed, ire returning over how ridiculous this meeting was becoming.

“I'm not calling you a liar or anything.” Shouyou tried, heat in his voice. He hated the look the alpha was giving him, wanted the cocky grin he had grown accustomed to back rather than the ugly sneer he was being graced with. “It's just...how is that even possible? Unless you’re...you know…?”

“Never got around to it, never wanted to.” Tobio scoffed, “They need certified omegas more than alphas anyway. I just paid a monthly penalty and they left me alone.”

“Oh.” Shouyou rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. Now that he thought about it, that did seem like a reasonable explanation. Two to one is what most census reports claimed. The DAOA outlawed multiple alpha matings to a single omega decades prior due to aggression spikes; fatal clashes had started cropping up around the country, one alpha often becoming jealous over a perceived preference their mate might be showing to the second alpha.

Singular bonds were the law now, even if it brought with it a slew of other issues; rut houses and other so called alternative omega duties that the Department presided over. Shouyou felt gross just thinking about it. Most omega that ended up on that particular roster were offenders to the State or those down on their luck and in need of cash. He could safely say a majority of those involved weren’t there on a voluntary basis.

The sound of drawers opening and closing roughly pulled Shouyou from his reverie, focus returning as the alpha stepped from a side room, dressed now in a pair of joggers and hoodie. Tobio beckoned him to follow to the kitchen, evidently intending to make good on his statement to have a drink.

Sitting at the countertop Shouyou watched the man move around the space, watching as the alpha sat two old fashioned glasses on the granite with a soft clink then turn to his collection of decanters to ponder a selection. Humming, he reached for a crystal one; tall and narrow with intricately cut patterns on the sides glistening under the ambient lighting of the room, the dark brown liquid it contained sloshing around as the alpha approached the bar once more.

“Ice?”

Shouyou blinked; he probably looked as stupid as he felt right now. “Ah, um. No?”

Tobio merely shrugged, reaching below the counter to retrieve a metal glass then dumping some cleanly cut cubes into the glass closest to himself. Pulling the glass stopper out with a pop, the alpha let the liquid pour fluidly from one glass to the other, corking the bottle once more after he was finished.

“Figured you could use this,” The alpha gave his own glass a gentle swirl, sipping at it before continuing, “You look like shit.”

Shouyou gaped at him, mouth closing and opening for a few seconds and at a complete loss for how to respond. The smile came unbidden a few moments later, followed by laughter. “You’re such a flatterer.” Eyeing the glass before him, Shouyou opted to ignore it for the time being, “But yeah, I kind of feel like it right now...I’m sorry, by the way.”

“Not the first time you’ve shown up on my doorstep like a maniac.”

“Stoooop! I’d almost forgotten about that.” Leaning one side of his face into his palm, Shouyou smiled, “So...first time registering...how...how’d that go?”

As the sentence left his mouth Shouyou was freezing, breath catching in his throat and shoulders tensing up. He could kick himself right now. Tobio had given him a reprieve from his stupidity earlier and he goes and brings it all back up again. Thankfully the other didn’t seem miffed, simply scoffing and downing his drink before commenting: “I’m going to need another glass before I talk about that nightmare.”

Cocking his head to the side in genuine confusion came a quip, “Can’t be worse than the omega certification examinations.”

“You try jacking off in front of some old guy and see how much you enjoy it.”

The admission is so shocking and crude that the omega nearly fell off the barstool. Surely he had misheard or Tobio was messing with him again. But the alpha’s face wasn't doing the little mouth twitch thing that always happened when the alpha was joking. Oh _god_ , he was actually being serious, the implications of which were conjuring all sorts of inappropriate imagery.

From what he remembered during his years in secondary school, alphas needed to submit blood work as well as a semen sample for analysis. Shouyou distinctly remembered the alphas in his class being assured that _that_ particular sample would be procured in a private room.

Tobio was pouring himself another glass by this point, ice cubes clinking around as more brown liquid sloshed into the glass, “Apparently, at my age, they needed to visually verify that my knot could still pop.”

“Oh!” Came his squeaky reply, “You're not even old!”

“Personally, I think they were just trying to get me to back out of the process.” The alpha stated flatly, “Those penalty fees wrack in a lot of money for the Department.”

“So why were you so persistent then?”

“Look, I’m not good with this kind of stuff.” Tobio exhaled roughly, setting aside his empty glass to lean on the counter to be eye level with the omega, “So cut the shit. Do you want to court or not?”

“I, well…y-yes, but, um...” Shouyou took his own untouched glass in his hands to simply give himself something to do, easing it up to his nose and taking a tentative sip at the contents. It was a bad choice, leaving him sputtering and coughing and pushing the glass away from himself. Tobio was quick to push a cup of water his way, Shouyou not comprehending how he procured the thing so fast but thankful for it regardless, “How do you drink that crap?”

“Answer the question. But what?”

“I’m out of deferrals…” Crap, crap, crap he was not going to cry. “I have to pick a mate soon and you’re not certified...so I can’t...we can’t...the DAOA would never sanction it.”

“Court me anyway.”

The statement was simple, but bold.

Courtship between a certified and uncertified was grounds for disciplinary action. Depending on the judge that could range anywhere from a slap on the wrist in the form of fine all the way to mandatory service in a rut house or as a companion partner. For an omega like himself, it would be a toss up and solely dependant on if the judge were sympathetic to his plight.

Still, on some level, a situation like this had been ultimately expected. _Anything is better than nothing_ , that's what Kenma had said before he decided to rush off.

It was a crazy idea, absurd. Getting caught without the proper government sanctions would be disastrous; not only personally but likely to his career as well.

Shouyou had never really done anything reckless before in his life, but something about Tobio wanted him to act reckless, to do something spectacularly dumb. He had been pushing the limits for years with his deferrals, a counselor once informing him in a disapproving tone that he held the record for longest deferred mate selection. Why not go for broke? No time like the present.

Just as he was about to voice a response, a large packet of papers were being thrust under his nose. It was official DAOA paperwork, the insignia of the Department stamped neatly into the cover page of the stack. One of the pages was earmarked with a yellow tab, Shouyou’s eyes widening at the header after flipping to that section: “EXPECTATIONS AND EXEMPTIONS: CONDITIONAL PRIVILEGES PENDING CERTIFICATION.”

A weight was lifted as he scanned the page, a large smile quickly forming before he finished the page. Looking up, Shouyou blinked rapidly to clear the tears that had accumulated there, taking in the sight of a smug and expectant alpha.

“Well?”

“Okay, yes.” Shouyou said breathlessly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Tobio. Haha. 
> 
> Thanks to virus420x for giving this monster a read-through before posting. 
> 
> I'm trying my best to hit a 7-10 day post schedule for now. I'm right at that mark for this chapter and relieved considering most of my writing time consisted of me staring at a blank screen, typing, and deleting whatever I had just typed. This was fun to write once the chapter cooperated with the actually getting started part. Haha. 
> 
> As always, comments and feedback greatly appreciated.


	6. Chapter 6

When first moving to this city, if anyone would have told him he would ever be involved in a courtship he would have laughed and told them to fuck off. For most of his adult life, meaningful relationships were never much of a priority. Sure, he had friends, drinking buddies mostly and one or two people he would consider going to the funeral of if they happened to die or something, but he never quite managed wrap his mind around the idea of  _ being _ with someone. There was always an excuse as to why, and for the most part he still clung to those convictions.

The prospect of pursuing a courtship with Shouyou should have been over the moment he learned of the others certification status. For about a period of two days the alpha struggled to come to terms that Shouyou was truthfully certified, that the claims were falsehoods used in a clever marketing ploy to promote his photography business to the vulnerable sector his services were geared towards. In the end the information was sincere, and with the confirmation came a paradigm shift of thought that the alpha never once thought would be shaken.

Certified omega were often  _ spoiled, pampered, _ and downright  _ indolent  _ in the way they carried themselves. Inarguably, next to pups, certified omegas were society’s most treasured of citizens; they were the life-givers, shouldering the immense weight of ensuring the continuation of humanity. The caveat to being so valuable, however, was it made for a privileged class that wanted for nothing; while in their prime, the world was at their feet, ready to answer at beck and call over the most minor of requests.  

That type of behavior was a blight on anyone’s character as far as Tobio was concerned and something he held no fantasies of entertaining. Even if the world disagreed, allowing oneself to become complacent and dependent just because it was an option was insulting and demeaning. Fellow alpha’s rarely shared the same sentiment, tripping over themselves at the chance of securing a Certified omega and throwing caution to the wind to ensure a courtship resulted in a bondship. 

And then Shouyou had come crashing into his life, upsetting the views that had long since entrenched themselves into his mind. It was the difference between night and day; vibrant technicolor bursting forth and splashing blindingly into a previously monochrome world. Shouyou was electrifying, a large presence contained within a small body and able to breathe life into a room by simply gracing it with his presence.

To have found an omega who was the opposite of every negative attribute he associated to the certified class was astounding and honestly had him questioning his sanity a little. The entirety of his adult life had been spent fending off the vultures from the Department, and now one little redheaded omega had gone and single-handedly made him start to question the wisdom of his decision in the first place. 

Venturing down to the Department to start the process was not a lightly made decision on his part, only doing so once being moderately sure the whole thing wouldn’t blow up in his face after the fact. Nevertheless it almost had, believing for a split second undergoing registration had been for naught with the way Shouyou was awkwardly bringing up catalogs and lack of his scent being contained within. 

The look of relief and joy on the omega’s face as the night’s misunderstandings finally came to light was now  permanently etched into his retinas. Shouyou had absolutely glowed, pretty smile wobbling as an airy “Okay, yes,” left his lips. Maybe this what every other alpha tripping over themselves for a certified felt, only for Tobio  _ this _ omega seemed like he would be worth the effort to make happy. 

New courtships, even on provisional terms, were cause for celebration. For an alpha like Tobio and in a fresh courtship, the first thing on his mind was anything but sweet and tender. The first night of their courtship had ended with the omega flustered and stumbling over his feet in a mad dash to escape back to his own apartment.

That was the thing about courtships, there was no guidebook, nothing to help someone like Tobio traverse the minutiae of it. 

Therein laid his frustration: for all the omega’s bravado and free-spirited nature, Shouyou quickly turned timid when it was just the two of them alone. Reacting in a way that, more often than not, reminded Tobio of a cornered animal. Should things start to progress too quickly, Shouyou would nearly vibrate out of his skin from sheer anxiety, eyes blowing wide in a panic and sweet scent bleeding to something sour and tart.

Which was peculiar, considering the omega’s career consisted of working with pregnant clients and their newborns. Shouyou himself had even waxed poetry about the beauty of childbirth, having been privileged and trusted enough to attend and document a few live births for his more progressive clients. After that particular spiel, Tobio flipped through Shouyou’s private collection portfolio out of curiosity, the omega eager to share it when asked. 

The book was a bit more avant-garde and conceptual than what a typical client would likely be interested in. Couples in positions traditionally considered intimate and private were heavily featured throughout. Scenting predominantly, many of which featured fully nude dam deliberately posed at specific angles to preserve their modesty. Overall the collection could be described as intimate, with closeups of the omega’s expression as they eyed the sire, usually the alpha clinging to their mate’s rounded abdomen or assisting to shield more private areas of the omega's form.

The portraits were beautiful, Shouyou’s mastery of lighting and angles blatantly obvious even to someone like Tobio who, on a good day, was fortunate to take a picture using his phone without it blurring. To be exposed so frequently to the human form, Tobio would have expected the omega to be desensitized to intimacy, not the other way around.

In the past Tobio’s patience would have deteriorated swiftly, frustration leading to him removing himself from the situation entirely and moving on to the next person. Tobio had never been one to restrain his own desires, always taking the initiative for the things he wanted; if the other party wasn't receptive to it, well fuck them. Plenty of people out there, no need to waste his time on some prude. 

And while certainly frustrating, the alpha could never stay annoyed with Shouyou. Not when he flashed that big smile up at him, tension easing from his features when the alpha would back off. As ready as he was, he needed to accept that his omega wasn’t, so he’d take whatever the other would give him for the time being. 

For now Tobio contented himself with being able to hold Shouyou, bundling the omega up in his arms to watch a movie or simply discuss anything interesting that happened that day. Sometimes the omega’s work carried over into their time, Tobio stubbornly refusing to let the omega go and opting to peer over the omega’s shoulder as he worked. 

Shouyou was a driven person, passionate and proud of his craft. Being able to witness the process and the omega hard at work was captivating; those big honey-colored eyes of his focused and plump lips pressed into a thin line as he diligently chipped away at his task utterly mesmerizing. On those nights when a project deadline pressed the omega into dragging his laptop out, it was no bother to Tobio; not when the view was so beautiful. 

The best part would always come near the end of the evening when Shouyou finished with his task or whatever it was they were engrossed with came to an end. With no other distractions the omega would, finally, fully relax into the alpha as the two languidly renewed their scent markings. 

It was a simple sort of bliss, and something Tobio would have laughed at if someone would have told him he’d ever enjoy this type of domesticity. Warm and tender and intimate on a level far deeper than just sex, scenting quickly became a ritual Tobio that found himself starting to crave. Day or night, it made no difference so long as the omega’s scent of citrus and honeysuckle filled his lungs and stained his skin.

The weight of Shouyou against his chest was an anchor in the weightlessness he experienced. Face buried in wispy red curls, he could inhale deep lungfulls of the omega’s delicate scent. It was ambrosial, devine, and something Tobio would gladly drown himself in. Their body heat and individual scents melding and coalescing into one unique combination did things to his guts, twitching and lurching in a way not at all unpleasant. Little puffs of air in his ears and seeing Shouyou’s skin burn pink as he explored had him growling rumbling coos in an attempt to soothe, to keep the omega calm just a little longer so he could keep his hands on the other. 

Trying to stay patient and actually being patient was an exercise in self restraint around an omega like Shouyou. Pressed so close to his courtmate, the instinctual pull to dominate became akin to an itch: simple to fix but only if he could reach it. Shouyou probably didn’t even understand how tempting he was. 

Because he was undeniably omega, and that only made temptation all the more difficult to resist. Small and petite, with large expressive eyes the color of molten gold mixed with honey, their rich depths stunning and hypnotic and host to a multitude of swirling emotions that never failed to capture Tobio’s attention. Combined with his pearly white teeth framed by sweet, full lips and an even sweeter scent, Shouyou was  _ pretty _ . Gorgeous even, bordering on exotic, with his wild, untamable hair and even wilder coloring. Appearing like shimmering red silk with a teasing glimmer of spun straw under the morning sun, Tobio’s fingers itched to thread through the omega’s mop of unruly fire any chance he could find. Wanted to make those pretty pink lips of his part on gasping staccatoed breaths, to watch him unravel as he worshiped those thick thighs; wanted his skull to be crushed between them while he discovered if Shouyou tasted as sweet as he smelled.

Tobio was a physical man, had been for many years prior to meeting Shouyou, and it took a concerted effort to control himself. Because while scenting was something wonderful in its own right and something inherently pleasing to his instincts, Tobio was an alpha and very much not accustomed to a lack of physicality between he and his partner. 

Any little squirm from Shouyou always made his heart flip-flop, fearing he may have pushed too far and the omega was planning to extradite himself from his hold. 

“Tobio?” 

Tobio hummed into the juncture where the omega’s neck turned to shoulder to indicate he was listening, trailing a path along the omega’s forearms to bring his fingers around delicate wrists, thumbs applying light pressure to the sensitive glands on the inner aspects of the joints. The tiny glands were a sensitive spot for Shouyou, Tobio had learned, the fidgeting it elicited from the other in pleasure not fright. And if it got the omega to give just a little bit of friction against his aching cock, well it was a mutual benefit in his mind.  

“Wha- _ ah. _ ” The airy, hitched breath had Tobio smirking into the omega’s warm skin, raising up to rest his chin on the redhead’s shoulder to keep from overwhelming him. Shouyou swallowed audibly, voice faltering with a quiver as he asked, “What time is our appointment? I don't remember.” 

Tobio frowned, not answering right away as he wracked his brain for the information. There was a note plastered to the refrigerator with the information, but he didn't want to move from his current spot if he could help it. 

“Sometime around noon, I think.” He took his best guess, pointedly ignoring the huff of annoyance from his courtmate, arms snapping up to cage the little thing in to prevent him from standing to go double-check the guess. “I'm comfortable, stay here.” 

“You're such a bully,” Said Shouyou with no real heat in his voice, small hands coming to rest on the arms holding him in place. “I  _ really _ don't want to go back there.” Tipping his head back fully Tobio could see the trepidation in the omega’s features, usually bright eyes dim and distant. 

Due to Tobio’s provisional privileges, they were required to attend weekly appointments at the Department. Courtships sanctioned on a provisional license prohibited bonding until full licensure was obtained in the unlikely event an alpha failed the certification process. Noncompliance with appointments would terminate the provisional courtship license they had applied for some weeks ago.

When first submitting their license application Shouyou had inquired if he could attend appointments unaccompanied. Coordinating both of their work schedules would be challenging, especially since appointments were automatically generated and not selected. Shouyou traveling between clients and setting his own hours allowed flexibility to make adhering to the attendance policy more feasible. 

The answer to his query had been swift, Shouyou chastised by the intake clerk that,  _ no, absolutely not; both parties must be present at each scheduled time. No exceptions. _

Tobio saw through the reasoning for his required presence as soon as the explanation left the woman's mouth: if Shouyou showed up with a bond-mark, as the responsible alpha he would already be on the premises for immediate apprehension and detention.

Neither of the two wanted to return to the Department, not after the disaster that was their first meeting with their courtship case worker. The way the alpha had leered at Shouyou, checking his neck a little too roughly than necessary had earned them a notated warning to their file for Tobio’s snarling during the entire ordeal. Each week was the same, the little snake of a man pushing the alpha’s buttons and eyeing him expectantly as if wanting Tobio to rip into him. 

By accident it was discovered the caseworker didn’t particularly enjoy how their scents smelled combined after a scenting, his little nose scrunching up in disgust as he hurried to look over Shouyou’s bonding glands. It was still stressful in any case, Shouyou confiding in Tobio it was because the caseworker was an unbonded alpha and having him so close to his exposed neck set him on edge. Before appointments they would make a point to scent at least a few hours beforehand to ensure the mark was fresh and concentrated; it wouldn’t keep the creepy little caseworker completely away, but Shouyou said it made him feel a little more secure with his alpha’s scent and the knowledge that the other alpha wanted to be away from it. 

After a beat Shouyou was angling his neck to expose the smooth column of his throat in an unspoken request to be scented once more. 

“I wish that fucker would get hit by a bus.” Tobio nudged at the shell of the omega’s ear with his nose, lips ghosting along the sensitive cartilage before dipping down to Shouyou’s exposed neck. A beautiful sound filled his own ears as he nipped at the slightly swollen gland, a strangled laugh morphing into a low reverberating moan as small hands came up to weave into one side of his hair while the other clamped around the base of his skull.

Concentrated bursts of citrus and honeysuckle filled his mouth, the gland oozing the fragrant oils with each harsh suck and lick to the surface. Moments like this were what had the alpha’s control slipping: Shouyou becoming lax and pliant in his arms and calling to him in musical whines, wriggling within the alpha’s grasp just right. 

Shouyou was  _ singing _ now, soft gasps and his name falling from parted plump pink lips spurring the alpha on, breaking his seal on the omega’s skin with a  _ pop _ and whispering harshly into his ear, “God, I want to fuck you.”

A hand coaxed the omega to turn to him, Tobio swallowing up the omega’s keening. It was an odd angle, Tobio cradling Shouyou’s neck for support, but the omega didn’t seem to mind, mouth parting for Tobio to lick into the space. 

Small hands were scrambling for purchase, blunt nails digging deliciously into his scalp as the omega arched and bucked under the sensation of Tobio’s large palm gliding along his belly and leaving gooseflesh in its wake. Rocking against his aching cock, the undulations of his omega’s hips were sinful, ripping a snarl from his chest as large hands darted down to grip tightly onto plump thighs and guide the uncoordinated movements to a better rhythm. Thin leggings made for a poor barrier, the heat of Shouyou’s core searing with each slow grind and driving Tobio mad as he latched back onto his omega’s bruised, pulsing bonding gland. 

A thrust to meet Shouyou’s hips seemed to break whatever spell Shouyuo had fallen under, the omega’s hands clenching and unclenching in the alpha’s hair before making a motion to pull away. To his credit, Tobio didn’t fight it, his grip on the other’s thighs releasing and drifting back up to cross around the redhead’s waist. Letting his head fall back he sighed an apology, staring at a particularly interesting corner of the ceiling as he did so. 

“No, I-um…it's just, I-” Shouyou took his sweet time collecting himself, fidgeting and shifting to where he was sitting on tucked in legs to look at the alpha, “Um, I, well, I just-” 

Tobio peered down his nose as the flustered omega, still shifting around from his kneeling position between the alpha’s legs, “It’s alright-” 

“I liked it!” The admission came as a broken shout, Shouyou’s face red and lips puckered into a pout, “I liked it. A lot, actually but...but we’re gonna be late if we don’t leave.” Tobio followed the omega’s line of vision to the television screen where a news report was playing and to the time stamp in the lower right corner. Figures Shouyou would be the one to mind the time and not himself. 

Before he can say anything Shouyou is leaning over the side of the couch to retrieve his fallen phone, ass high in the air and Tobio itching to palm at it, “Oh crap! Tobio, we need to  _ go _ !” He has a list of train times pulled up, biting his lower lip as he frantically scrolls through departure and arrival times. “We need to hurry to make this boarding.” A bright screen is thrust into his line of vision, nodding along in agreement after seeing the tight timetable.

A few quick taps later Shouyou has their passes loaded onto his train app, not wanting to risk being held up at the kiosk when they get to the station. But before he darts off the omega looks back at him shyly, blush creeping hotly back onto his face, “Maybe later? We could…” Eyes flit from the alpha’s face then down and quickly back up again, “Could, um, play a little more...later?”

This omega is going to be the death of him, he already knows it.

“C’mon, let’s go see if our favorite person got hit by a bus or not.” 

**\---------------------**

Shouyou starts to get jittery when the forty minute mark goes by from the time they were first ushered into the room they are currently waiting in. The room is cramped and stuffy and the music filtering into the room is atrocious, so Tobio can empathize on some level. He tries to keep his omega’s mind occupied by talking of trivial things and when that doesn’t work asks about the technical aspects of photography. While he doesn’t understand half the words coming out Shouyou’s mouth, at least the restlessness abates some and he feels pride at being able to help his omega pass the time a little easier. 

At precisely one hour, Tobio is ready to go find someone and ask what the hold up is. They had gotten lucky to be assigned today for their appointment, neither of them having any of commitments for the day. In their rush to make it to the Department on time, neither had the chance to eat breakfast and at this point the alpha was starving. Shouyou was too, if the gurgling sounds his belly made every so often were of any indication. 

The door to the room creaks open just as he’s about to stand, heart nearly jackhammering out of his chest because Shouyou is screaming, “Oh my god! Is he dead!?” 

The woman entering the room fixes Shouyou with a perplexed look, “Beg pardon?” 

But Shouyou isn’t paying the woman any mind, instead he’s whirling on Tobio and pointing an accusatory finger his way, “This is all your fault! You said he should get hit by a bus!” 

Tobio is stuck looking between a hyperventilating Shouyou and a woman considering whether or not to close the door behind herself and cutting of any means of escape from the tiny room. In the end he settles on stepping from his corner up to the table Shouyou is sitting on to wrap an arm around his slim shoulders, “Will you calm down?” He looks to the woman for help, Shouyou already on a tangent for how they could be pinned for manslaughter or something equally absurd, “Where’s our usual caseworker?” 

“I can assure you Suguru is in perfect health,” The woman adjusts her glasses with the tips of her fingers, “Your caseworker has other responsibilities to attend to today and was not available for the time slot the system assigned to you both.” 

After that the appointment goes by quickly. This caseworker is pleasant and efficient, Shouyou going so far to ask if they could request  _ she _ be their new caseworker for future appointments. Tobio is in agreement; the woman is calm and collected, gently asking them questions regarding their courtship progression following Shouyou’s assessment in a way that doesn’t feel like an inquisition. Commentary is offered in what seems to be good-will, and from what Tobio can see her notes being kept are completely objective. 

“You two have recently scented, and appear to have done so for previous visits. This is good and healthy and I’m happy when couples begin this process earlier rather than later in the courtship process.” Her pen pauses as she speaks, looking up to make sure she has the couple’s attention, “Tell me, Shouyou, what are your plans for your heat?” 

“Heat!?” 

Shouyou is rapidly glancing between the alpha and the caseworker, who in turn is observing the omega carefully and pen at the ready to scribble in the margins of her notes. 

“I realize that your heat is a ways off,” The pen is placed on the table, the woman clasping her hands before continuing, “The reason I ask is it’s been noted that Kageyama seems to be a bit aggressive around your bonding gland. Notes for your previous visit indicate bruising and today is no different. Should you decide to heat with your alpha, I want to make you both aware that the Department is more than willing to provide bonding collars to prevent accidental bonding during the cycle. It may be a choice you have to make, should your alpha’s certification still be pending by the time your cycle hits.” 

“Oh.” Shouyou is rubbing the back of his head sheepishly, “We, uh, haven’t really gotten that far yet, right Tobio?” 

_ Not for lack of trying _ is what Tobio wants to reply with, but instead he opts to simply agree and offer thanks for the information, that they’ll keep it in mind for when the time comes. 

Seemingly satisfied with his answer, the appointment is wrapped up. As they are turning to leave the woman to asks for Shouyou to kindly stay back for a few moments. “You can go on ahead to the front desk, Kageyama. This will only take a few minutes.” 

His offer to stay is politely rejected by the caseworker. Shouyou doesn’t seem particularly anxious about being held back, telling the alpha he will catch up to him, so Tobio doesn’t press the issue.

By the time Shouyou meets up with him in the main lobby their next appointment is set, curiously for two weeks time and not a week. He’s about to bring it up but the look on Shouyou’s face has him asking, “What was that about?” 

“Oh, nothing...I mean,  _ not _ nothing, but nothing, you know?” Shouyou states as if any of what he just said made any lick of sense. Thankfully the omega elaborates before the alpha needs to ask, “I’ve worked with the Department before for certain public awareness campaigns...do you remember that one image from a few years ago that was part of the suppressant campaign?” 

“Shit, that was you?” 

“Well there’s an another campaign being planned and the project director wants me to do the shoot.” Shouyou hardly sounded excited about it. 

Along the way they passed a food trolly, Shouyou scarfing down his food the second he got his hands on it, then attempting to coax some of Tobio’s away for himself. As they settled onto the train Tobio finally gave in, absolutely not smiling at how pleased the omega looked with himself for swindling his alpha’s food away. 

“That’s a good thing, right? What’d you tell them?” 

“Well, yeah it’s a good thing...kind of. I mean, it’ll pay well, for sure…” They really needed to work on Shouyou talking with his mouth open Tobio decided, urging the omega to make use of the drink he was ignoring. “But...and I don’t know how much I can tell you...but it’s a bad one.” 

That got the alpha’s attention. While the public push for suppressants had been largely effective a few years back, news outlets had been reporting an uptick in “bad births” over the past few months; the Disciplinary Decrees had been fuller as well. The charges listed were frequently gross negligence in relation to a minor, but now Tobio was starting to think otherwise as Shouyou wormed his way under his arm. 

“The next campaign is another push for suppressant compliance.” Shouyou sighed, “They want me to photograph a bad one to help make a case for it.” 

“I...I accepted the assignment. With your certification pending I didn’t want to risk pissing someone off at the Department by saying no,” Shouyou looked at him then with an apologetic look, “I’ll need to leave as soon as I can get my equipment together. The dam lives four days north of our prefecture in the rural mountains, the train can only get me so far...they’re giving us clearance for next week in case the due date is off. All my other clients are going to be so mad...Yachi’s probably having a cow trying to get them all rescheduled for me.” 

And just like that, Tobio’s plans for the night were ruined, all fantasies of what Shouyou might have meant by “playing later" forgotten as the omega chattered away without a care in the world. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Tobio, haha. 
> 
> This chapter started off so easily and then *boom* brick wall. I pretty much jinxed myself last chapter. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out, even if it did cost me about three days outside of when I was hoping to update next! 
> 
> Special thanks to a sleep-deprived virus420x for beta'ing and catching all my dumbass spelling errors!!
> 
> As always, comments and feedback always appreciated.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to take a moment to advise a content warning for this chapter. Dark themes lie ahead. Infant demise is mentioned. If such a theme is too much for you, please tread carefully after the first page break. I don't go into extensive detail, but regardless the topic is there and I wanted to give a heads up about it. 
> 
> With that said, I hope you guys press forward with me and that I see you in the end notes.

Shouyou had been on the precipice of a panic attack when the caseworker brought up the subject of his heats. Squeaking out a one word reply to parrot the topic, his less than succinct response earned himself a scrutinizing gaze from the caseworker. After a beat the woman picked up her pen to scribble something into the margins of her notes. 

Heats were something he avoided talking about outside of a few close friends, and those times were usually to alert one of them that his cycle was starting and for someone to come by once a day to feed his cat. Certain that was information the woman probably had no use for, he simply remained silent, staring blankly back at the woman as she continued scribbling in her small, neat print. 

Without an alpha to help balance unstable pheromone fluctuations and satiate the mating drive, heats were well known to be miserable experiences. Shouyou was no exception to this, his prolonged deferrals producing heats all the more unbearable with each cycle. He had been told at one point it was an instinctual reaction, body doubling down in its efforts to attract a mate.

Due to his certified status, suppressant usage had never been an option. Suppressants for certified omega were strictly prohibited, with offenses carrying hefty penalties. Ultimately the goal for someone in Shouyou’s classification was to bond, mate and breed, not dampen the instinctual imperative and ability to do so. If convicted of the crime and an omega was unable to pay the fine there were other methods to satisfy the debt, a situation Shouyou was not keen on finding himself in. Sometimes it was difficult to separate fact from rumor, and Shouyou found it much less taxing to not try and make heads or tails of anything concerning what lengths the Department would go for recompense. 

The restriction served its purpose well, most omega bonded by the end of their secondary studies or early into their post-secondary education. Only Shouyou was a stubborn thing, weathering out each cycle even as each one predictably increased in intensity, instincts desperate to complete a bondship and find relief. Without a bond, his cycles would continue their fervid, all-consuming blaze of agony. 

During his time as a university student he had considered taking a heat-partner. After carefully considering the option, Shouyou came to the decision that he, personally, could never bring himself to seek out such an arrangement— even if the notion of experiencing relief only an alpha could provide was a tempting one. Sometimes, in the depths of his torment, Shouyou would cry out for an alpha who wasn’t there, begging, his face striped with tears and lungs emptying of air as he wailed, pleas giving way to desperation as his psyche spiraled out of control. It was probably the closest one could come to going mad without actually suffering a true psychotic break.  

A heat-partner would only provide a temporary reprieve, confined specifically to the cycle in which an alpha happened to be involved. On a superficial level it was perfectly logical: find an alpha to help him through his heats until he was ready to settle down and bond. 

Being certified, however, carried with it the expectation that a heat-arrangement included the eventuality of a full bondship. Keeping the same heatpartner each cycle certainly did no favors in maintaining the stance that heating together held no deeper meaning other than to placate a biological need. How insulting it must be for an alpha to find themselves in that type of situation? Good enough to fuck but not good enough to bond and be bred? Once he stopped to consider it, Shouyou could honestly say he would probably be incensed if the roles were reversed. In any case, keeping a heat-partner for too many cycles proved just as detrimental to omegan instincts: prolonged heats with the same alpha and no bondmark would only result in confused instincts, mistaking a lack of bonding as a rejection and further upping efforts to secure a bond mate on the next cycle.

Switching heat-partners frequently to avoid an alpha becoming attached would only build an unfavorable reputation. Trying to wade through the legalities of postponing a proper bondship was challenging enough without inadvertently self-labeling himself as a whore. Overall it was just easier to have no help from an alpha at all; no matter what he did in that regard, confrontation seemed an inevitable outcome. Shouyou decidedly disliked confrontation, so the choice to rebuke any type of heat-partner was an easy one. 

Shouyou was legally toeing the line as it was with his heat-teas and tinctures. They were something he had stumbled upon in the first few months of his travels to more rural areas of the country. Uncertified omega unable to afford pharmaceutical grade medications relied heavily on the extracts to provide some semblance of control over their bodies. The herbs were far from perfect, unable to prevent a heat entirely and doing absolutely nothing in way of pregnancy prevention, but at the very least helped regulate the raging fever coursing through his blood and allowing him to maintain a reasonably coherent state of mind. 

Shouyou would be lost to the throes of his cycle merely a few hours into the process prior to discovering the herbal concoctions, temperatures rising to the point of delirium and succumbing to the malevolent onslaught of sensation wracking his frame as his instincts cried out for an alpha. In those moments Shouyou would do well to breathe, rendered immobile and weeping and praying for the sweet relief of unconsciousness that he would never receive. 

Even with the herbal brews, his heats continued to take their toll, cycles never failing to be sordid experiences. He still wept and begged, still ruined perfectly good linen with a flood of slick and come, and always emerged two or three days later feeling hollow and weak and unsatisfied. Instincts were always frazzled by yet another cycle weathered without an alpha, something as simple as a mere glimpse of the smooth column of his neck afterwards enough to spur a fierce grievance from somewhere deep within his soul. 

Meeting Tobio had changed everything, all the more so now that they were courting. Suddenly there was a light at the end of the tunnel. All his previous misgivings concerning a heat-partner would no longer be a stumbling block to contend with a courtmate. For once in his life he found himself anticipating a heat, curious to know what pleasure opposed to pain would feel like. 

Because Tobio was way more attractive than a person had any right to be, ridiculously distracting in every way, from the way that he spoke to the inherent confident swagger in his step that captured Shouyou’s gaze with seemingly no conscious effort on the alpha’s part. Towering over the omega, broad shouldered, and with a voice and scent that could melt ice, the thought of getting a jumpstart on more intimate affairs was not an unpleasant idea in the slightest. 

Though, frustratingly, there had been a few hiccups in progressing their relationship in that direction.

“We, uh, haven't really gotten that far, right Tobio?”  

It was a poor response, the woman's lips pursing at his delayed reaction to her questioning. Blessedly Tobio intervened, taking command of the conversation effortlessly to the dismiss the subject entirely with little room for counterargument. Shouyou resisted the urge to snort at his words;  _ when the time comes _ could not arrive quickly enough as far as the omega was concerned. 

Some nights Shouyou was certain he would implode. Tobio was too much, so wonderfully overwhelming as the alpha thoroughly scented him every evening, holding Shouyou tightly to his chest like the omega might disappear and treating him like something precious. For someone as intimidating as Tobio, the omega was continuously astounded with how gentle the alpha could be, how attentive. Soft lips dusting along his neck and nibbling playfully along the sensitive flesh would tear tinny whines from his throat. Warm hands and nimble fingers left trails of gooseflesh in their wake, the ghosting sensation leaving Shouyou panting and wanting, craning his neck in submission in a silent request for  _ more _ . 

Because as lovely and sweet as the alpha treated him, Shouyou wanted  _ more _ . As much as the alpha would give, he wanted it. 

And that was the truly wondrous element: rarely did they speak during their scenting sessions. Words weren’t needed, not really, not with how attuned to one another they had already become. One well-placed sigh or the slightest fluctuation in scent and Tobio was acting, testing the omega’s reactions and adjusting his behavior based on how Shouyou responded. He was frighteningly accurate, seemingly able to see right through Shouyou with those piercing cobalt eyes of his, so intense and focused on the omega writhing in his grip -- almost smug with how beautifully he handled the redhead. It was probably an alpha thing, Shouyou thought, pride and ego inflating over accommodating his omega’s needs so easily. 

Tobio never failed to satisfy, scenting frequently and rapidly reaching a fever-pitch, reducing Shouyou to a flushed, panting mess and torn between trying to catch his breath or continuing to try and contain the intoxicating scent of his alpha in his lungs or not. In those moments, death by intoxication never seemed like a bad bad way to go. 

Harsh growls in his ear would send his heart fluttering, because when Tobio did that it usually meant his hands were about to start carving paths into the omega’s skin, having finally grown bold enough to let his palms graduate from wandering the outside of his clothes to dipping under the hemline. 

Every time was electric, the first sensation of flesh on flesh sending jolts of euphoria up his spine and his eyes fluttering closed from all the stars bursting into his vision, mind high on his alpha’s husky titillating scent and body on fire under his alpha’s palms. The fire stirring under his skin and in his belly was the problem; Shouyou knew the flames kindling within himself all too well, an inferno threatening to explode into a raging wildfire. He could feel his ability to reason actually dissolving into a primal state, keening under the thundering, possessive snarling of his courtmate and arching into the glide of large palms on his body. His glands would swell until the point of pulsating as full-body aches began to seize his frame. All signs pointed to what Shouyou knew all too well: an impending heat if there ever was one. 

The first time had been absolutely terrifying, sending Shouyou stumbling out of the alpha’s home with a half-assed excuse as to why he had to leave. Shouyou was a certified omega; never in his life had a heat occurred out of place, nary a day early or late. Back in his own apartment and buried in the safety of his nest, Shouyou had worried and fretted, biting his lower lip until blood was drawn as he tried to puzzle together the fantom heat he had felt brewing. Away from his alpha, the blaze quickly waned to a smolder before finally ceasing altogether. 

Every instance resulted in a similar way, so often that the alpha became hesitant in his approach, incorrectly assuming that Shouyou was overwhelmed or nervous. It would have been sweet and endearing if the whole situation weren't so frustrating; what in the world did he do to find an alpha like this? Any other man would be pressing for more, testing his boundaries, but Tobio never did and sometimes Shouyou just wanted to cry over it.

It wasn't like he could explain what was happening. Early heats prone to being triggered ahead of schedule would be cause for concern by the Department. Suspending their courtship license to launch an investigation would surely follow; certified omega didn't have errant heats, faux or not, especially frequent ones. Reporting it during their weekly appointments was completely out of the question, so was divulging the true cause of his flighty behavior to Tobio. The alpha needed plausible deniability should their caseworker ever become suspicious that the course of their courtship had tilted even in the slightest. 

Speaking of which, he was just about done with the process for today. Earlier that morning had been the first time he had been able to fully enjoy the alpha’s attentions, all too familiar flames curiously failing to make an appearance. It had been exhilarating, body strung taunt and ready to burst without the looming threat of needing to stop. Shouyou just knew there would be bruises to his thighs with how tightly the alpha had dug his fingers in, holding Shouyou were he wanted him in order to grind up into his throbbing core. 

He shivered at the thought, Tobio casting him a fleeting glance before resuming whatever it was he was saying to the caseworker. Shouyou had checked out of the conversation a long time ago, taking his best guess of where to place appropriate nods or acknowledging hums. Piecing together what had been different about this morning was far more important at the moment, because nothing had been all that different aside from the time. 

They had agreed to meet early in the morning to allow adequate time to scent and breaks in between for when Shouyou needed space to calm down. Really, Tobio was going to be the death of him, the last consideration being the alpha’s idea. Before heading down to the alpha’s apartment he had prepared a cup of tea like he always did. Maybe he was getting old, having formed a habit over the years of having a morning cup. He found he quite liked the taste of the steeped leaves, the warmth wafting up from the mug calming and— wait. 

_ Tea. _

The morning had been different after all. Typically he would reach for his canisters of earl grey or yerba mate, but he had yet to have a chance to replenish his stock. Rummaging in his cabinets had produced the herbal teas purchased from a rural town a few hours south of the city. Those leaves may have been a heat-tea but the robust bitterness that naturally came about from the steeping process had grown on the omega; having a tincture for his morning ritual would suffice in a pinch. Steeping them without further thought, Shouyou had nursed his cup happily as he scrolled through his phone, locking up his apartment and heading downstairs once finished. 

What had been seemingly inconsequential was now a revelation. One warranting an experiment with Shouyou being the instigating and willing guinea pig. That shaky request to continue where they left off later now a real possibility. 

“Oi, are you alright?” Tobio’s fingers were threading through his hair at the base of his skull, right where he liked it. Blinking up Shouyou was met with imploring cobalt. He must have really zoned out there for a second. “You're being weirder than usual.” 

Tobio is a good alpha, Shouyou muses, even if a little rough around the edges, but the omega supposes that’s part of his courtmate’s charm. It should be frightening how figured out Tobio has him, especially in the amount of time they have been courting. Tobio has a way of looking right through him; to any other observer those eyes would be harsh and cold, but in them Shouyou can only see warmth and a gentleness reserved just for him and god if that didn’t do things to his heart rhythm. 

Crap he was zoning out again. Craning his neck back he finds a pair of cobalt eyes still staring back at him and Shouyou swears he can feel his soul leave his body for the briefest of moments. 

“Oh! Ah, haha, yeah I'm fine. Great!” So smooth, Shouyou, very nice. Nervously shouting answers was a brilliant method of communicating. He could tell Tobio didn't believe him for a single second, the alpha's eyes narrowing and jaw setting in the way it did whenever the alpha started trying to figure something out. “Just, ah, just a little warm in here is all.” 

His face is red, he knows it is. Can feel the heat radiating off him after the statement slips from his lips. Luckily the woman seems to take his words at face value, sheepishly admitting the appointment had actually gone over some minutes ago and that they could adjourn for the day. 

Shouyou is ready to bolt out of the door at those words, poised to drag the unsuspecting alpha with him. The morning tea has his mind in a tizzy and much like the night that lead up to them courting in the first place, he wants answers. Wants those answers  _ now _ , and has the perfect way of going about unearthing those answers. 

Their escape is thwarted, the woman softly requesting he stay behind for a few moments. Somehow he manages to not stamp his foot like a petulant child, wills away the indignant shrill trying to worm its way out of his chest and complies with the request. After Tobio leaves there's a flash of panic, wondering briefly if the Department was about to drop some sort of infraction onto him. Perhaps they had finally managed to find evidence of the tea in his system. The tea wasn't illegal, at least for uncertified omega, and more of a grey area for his classification. That would be his justification, he tells himself. 

Instead a totally different bombshell was dropped. He wondered if the woman could see him visibly deflate the more she prattled on. If she did she ignored it in favor of coolly awaiting an acceptance or rejection to the contract proposal. He had every right to refuse, wanted to with every fiber of his being. 

Working with the Department on a previous project wasn't the worst thing in the world, and it had paid well. What they were offering for this project would tide him over enough to decrease his client load for a few weeks should he take the job. It was just so far away. Surely the Department was aware of how stressful being apart from a courtmate could be for an omega, especially a couple that scented as regularly as the two of them did. 

“I apologize for such an abrupt commission,” Great, the woman was holding out her hands like he was some sort of scared animal, “But the individual we had previous arrangements with is no longer available.” 

No longer available could mean something as innocuous as illness to more insidious reasons. Either way Shouyou had no doubt those words had been carefully crafted to carry a double meaning to them. That statement could mean a lot of things, things Shouyou would rather remain ignorant of. Truthfully, Shouyou was well within his rights to refuse the contract, but a little nagging voice in the back of his mind told him he would be remiss to decline the request. So long as their courtship status remained provisional, any potential to inflame the bureau likely would not bode well for the final outcome of the application process. 

Poor Tobio would have to listen to him chatter on mindlessly as they traveled back to their apartment building. Anything less than aimless jabbering would allow Shouyou to focus on how long he would be away from his alpha. Having a fit and releasing distress pheromones in public would only upset Tobio. Being emotional would only make Shouyou more likely to run his mouth. 

Plausible deniability aside, Shouyou knew he wouldn't make it very far if he went and blabbered all his secrets at a time like this. The alpha was as pent up as he was. Tobio wasn't a chatty person, but his body language clued the omega in enough. Shouyou could stew in his own self-pity later that night in a cramped hotel room. One of them deserved a good night's rest at least. 

** \---------- **

Contracts that required traveling had always been enjoyable for Shouyou. His free-spirited nature combined with his wanderlust always proved to be a combination that prompted quick acceptance for any inquiry that necessitated lengthy travel. Naturally friendly, the opportunity to see new places and interact with new people were a welcomed bonus to the craft he took so much joy in. Commissions requiring extended travel were infrequent, however. A majority of certified couples preferred to live in cities with reputable prenatal centers and hospitals, or at the very least in towns with railways that could provide quick transport to an area equipped to provide adequate care services. 

With any other alpha the amount of time and occasional travel his business required would likely be a point of contention. Shouyou had been elated to learn that his courtmate not only accepted and tolerated the hours he invested into his work, but encouraged it. At one point the alpha had made it perfectly clear that he held no qualms over Shouyou’s variable work schedule, prideful that Shouyou had done so well for himself with little in the way of external help. 

Being in a courtship had complicated things bit, Shouyou’s affinity for travel waning slightly as their courtship stretched on, evenings spent with Tobio quickly became nothing short of an addiction. Being wrapped up in Tobio’s scent of pine and woodsmoke felt like home; warm and safe and  _ right _ . Shouyou was a naturally jubilant and happy person, and for the longest time he thought it impossible to find any more satisfaction in life than he already managed, but he had been wrong. Frustrations with faux heats notwithstanding, those evenings spent with Tobio were proving to be a little slice of heaven, and something he discovered himself hard-pressed to part with. For once in his life Shouyou was content, his constant need to be in motion quelled whenever close to the alpha. Being removed from the source of that happiness, he had come to learn, was unsettling.

A few jobs had taken him outside the city since beginning their courtship, but never one that stretched for as long a period as his current Department contract. Those small trips had left him feeling restless and anxious, “twitchy” as the alpha would say, cravings for the others scent setting in by days end as their scent markings began to fade. He was fully capable of functioning, certainly, but Shouyou noticed he became more melancholy the longer he went without a fresh lungful of Tobio’s cedar and woodsmoke. Upon returning home he would be clamoring for the alpha’s scent gland as soon as he caught sight of the other, going so far as to accost the alpha in the main lobby before reaching the elevator doors on one occasion.

The Department contract had taken him by surprise, woefully unprepared for an extended trip on such short notice. While sessions taking him completely out of town overnight were infrequent, they were not unheard of. Thanks to his assistant coordinating his clients, sessions of that sort were always meticulously planned to ensure a smooth, comfortable traveling experience. The same could not be said for this trip, travel itinerary cobbled together last minute and lodging secured in the same fashion. 

Those things Shouyou could manage. Long before hiring an assistant to help coordinate his business, making plans on the fly had been his style. Cramped little hotel rooms off the beaten path in need of a fresh coat of paint and the quirky locals that seemed to gravitate to the locations were of no bother to him. All he really needed was a clean, dry place to lay his head at night before setting off again the next morning. Anything more than that was just extravagance for the sake of being extravagant as far as Shouyou was concerned. 

What Shouyou was not prepared for was the length of time away from Tobio. 

By the third day of his trip he was tearing into his large duffel to retrieve a hoodie he made a point to swipe from his alpha’s apartment before leaving. Fabric pressed tightly to his nose, Shouyou had never been more thankful to be alone as the most embarrassing sounds escaped him. Relief, calm, happiness, and a slew of other emotions washed over him with just the first inhale, Shouyou yanking the thing over his head in a bid to be surrounded by his alpha’s scent. It wasn't the same as physically scenting, but comforting nonetheless. Bundling up in the comparatively large piece of clothing, Shouyou slept so soundly he was nearly late for check-out the following morning and the trip itinerary nearly derailed because of it.

When he had accepted the contract, the caseworker had only been able to give him a brief synopsis of what to expect before ushering him off. He wasn’t particularly thrilled with what he had gotten himself into, but backing out had no longer been an option at that point. Shouyou’s objective was to document the birth and attempt to capture an image worthy of being a centerpiece for a planned public awareness campaign targeted towards uncertified individuals.

Shouyou might as well have been in the twilight zone when setting out to his destination. This government contract lacked the usual anticipation his other contracts typically held. There was heaviness to it, bleak and somber, hovering over the omega like a cloud well before stepping foot into the the labor room. Having prior knowledge of the situation, however clipped, certainly affected his expectations. 

_ Bad ones _ were always what their name suggested: tragedy superseding the exaltation of childbirth. A pup lost to the perils that inevitably went along with the trials and tribulations of childbirth.

Over the course of his career Shouyou had been fortunate to have only encountered a handful of atypical labors and births. Aberrations among the certified class were almost mythical in their prevalence rates. Such numbers served as justification for establishing the strict policies governing certification and mate selection, as well as the penal code for managing offenders to the state. Any incident among certified couples was cause for great concern, the couple often coming under intense scrutiny from the Department to investigate a root cause for the failure. The main goal was to prevent a repeat occurrence, something many couples were eager to comply with and move on from the unexpected failure. 

This birth, however, was expected to fail. An uncertified omega decided to take a gamble and ultimately would lose: the omega in question had convinced their partner that they should try for a pup and the two had stopped suppressant usage with the intent to conceive. An individual could be classified as uncertified for a number of reasons, and for a large majority of the uncertified class that meant being barren from the onset. A special subset maintained fertility, like the dam he was being sourced to document, but carried with them astronomical chances of producing offspring incompatible with life outside of the womb.

Shouyou had received word along the way that the amount of time originally estimated for travel would be cut short, the laboring omega transferred to a closer location while still en route to his initial destination. It wasn’t so much that the labor was in distress but the dam themselves. Evidently there had been a complication, the dam now at high risk of death from hemorrhaging according to the midwife who had been in the home until determining that the omega required a higher level of care than what they were equipped to deal with. Overall two days worth of travel had been saved, four in total once factoring in the time it would take to return home after the job was done; silver linings, Shouyou supposed. 

Walking into the labor room was a surreal experience. There were a mass of staff crowded into the room. One attending physician and four nurses, two of which attempting to restrain the bucking dam to the table as the scent of excitement and glee saturated the space. Eerily enough, the staff offered up no encouragement to the omega - he was doing plenty of that on his own accord anyway. Bleating out cries of victory, calling out praises to the gods for blessing him with a child. When the dam caught sight of Shouyou, they positively glowed, eyes lighting up and heaving a great shout in his direction: “See!? Why would they send him if my pup were just going to die!” 

Suddenly everything clicked. Either this dam was delusional or rejecting their reality, maybe even a combination of both, but Shouyou now knew what images he needed to capture.

Taking a moment to remove himself from the situation, Shouyou flagged down a staff member to request a filtered face mask. Usually births were cerebral experiences and something he wouldn't dream of distancing himself from, but for this he would make an exception. 

With his newly acquired mask in place, Shouyou retrieved his earbuds from his coat pocket in order to blast the loudest tracks he owned into his head. Like this, with his sense of smell and hearing hazed out, he could pretend the shrieking dam in the room behind him was a normal client, at least for the time being. If he didn’t already know what the outcome would be he might have been more proud of the work he managed to do that day; because the dam was beautiful, face fierce with determination and pools of unconditional love swirling in their eyes the whole way through. 

He made a point to capture the repeated bond marks on the dam's neck, numbly musing that the Department would appreciate it. Outside of a heat conception was rare for certified omega, let alone an uncertified one. The physical act of bonding was believed to trigger ovulation, something to do with instincts being assured there would be a sire around for any pups that would be conceived during the cycle. Seeing the ugly scars marring the omega’s skin, Shouyou was certain the omega was delusional. Clearly the predicament they found themselves in had been a deliberate action, the sheer amount of scars indicating that multiple attempts were needed to result in a pregnancy. 

For someone like Shouyou a bond mark would scar prettily, flesh destined to take on the shape of his alpha’s teeth, primarily the incisor teeth where a chemical change would take place the first time the skin became punctured. Some certified omega’s scars would stay pink or flesh-colored, but his own dam had told him when he was younger that their family had an affinity for producing a silver tint. His dam’s bond mark had been lovely, the scar symmetrical and clean and glimmering when angled just right against the sun. Bond renewals never disrupted the scaring, newly opened flesh weaving back together without any unsightly bumps or blemishes over the course of a few weeks. 

The omega he had been commissioned to photograph sported ugly, jagged bondmarks. Whatever alpha had bonded to the omega had done a poor job of it, teeth marks shallow in some areas and leaving behind craters in others; likewise the skin was a kaleidoscope of discoloration consisting of purples, blues, and blacks. Shouyou was rusty on his biology, but there was probably a drastic pheromone incompatibility between the omega and their alpha to produce such grotesque hues. 

When the dam was finally ready to push Shouyou positioned himself at an angle to frame the setup of the room. He knew he needed to convey the chaos that was sure to follow, catch the exact moment the dam’s face would contort from exaltation to despair. If that wasn’t an action shot he didn’t know what was, and he refused to stay any longer after getting what he needed to satisfy the Department. 

One shot and Shouyou knew he had his image, stepping down from the stool someone had loaned him and quietly leaving the scene. In the hallway he tossed the mask into a bin as he passed, not bothering to look back as orderlies rushed by as he made his way towards the exit sign. Pulling one earbud free, he heard the physician barking for a sedative. In the din of the noise, he fortunately was unable to catch the sounds the dam was likely making. He still popped the earbud back in for good measure. 

** \---------- **

Being away for so long had left Shouyou a mess. He probably looked it too, unable to sleep the previous night in anticipation for this last leg of his return trip to the city. His hair was more of a birds nest than its usual unruly state and he was drowning in a ratty oversized tee as well as sporting a pair of leggings that had seen better days. Overall he looked like he had just rolled out of bed and decided to take a train ride. Which wasn’t far from the truth; he  _ had _ tried to sleep in these clothes the night before. The final stretch of the trip would take a few hours and Shouyou reasoned he might as well be comfortable. Even if he wanted to, the omega lacked the energy to rifle through his bags in search of more presentable attire anyway. 

Since he couldn’t sleep he powered through editing the images of the Department contract the night before, sending it the PA director before the first rays of sunshine peeked over the horizon. The hotel Yachi had booked for him had decent-enough wifi too, enough to get him a pixelated video chat with Tobio before the alpha had to go to work. Tobio failed to see the humor, and maybe it was just the exhaustion, but Shouyou had cackled at the alpha staring back at him; even pixelated the alpha managed to express how crotchety he was in the mornings.

Once the call had ended the silence of the space ate at him. Right now he should be in the apartment complex elevator and playfully bickering back and forth with his alpha, taking advantage of his tired state to best him in a battle of snark and wit, not sitting in a dingy hotel hours away. In his anxiousness to return home he'd packed up and left well before checkout, arriving at the station a good hour before the first line was set to depart. 

Checking his phone, a smile split the omega’s tired face. Tobio’s meetings had finished up earlier than expected today and he planned on meeting Shouyou at the station when he arrived. He tried zoning out to the passing scenery to pass the remainder of the time after Tobio’s replies stopped in response to his rapid-fire ones, only to have his attention sucked back to the messages and smiling stupidly at them. If he weren’t so excited he probably would have felt bad for the people having to put up with his incessant fidgeting for the remainder of the stretch of railway. 

When the train pulled into port he was the first one to crowd the door, eyes immediately spotting a head of inky black hair towering over all the people milling about the platform. The doors had scarcely begin to part before he was wedging his way through impatiently, and once free weaving his way past the throng of outgoing people waiting to load the train. A path opened up after he cleared the waiting bodies obstructing his way, and it was then he really did sprint. 

He managed to catch the widening of his alpha’s eyes as he was launching himself into the alpha’s space. They collided, Tobio swaying on his feet slightly from having his gravity tilted on its axis, but nonetheless reflexively wrapping his arms around the omega. Tobio was chastising him, struggling for a second to shift the omega’s weight around in his arms for a better hold, but Shouyou paid him no mind. 

Arms securely latched to the alpha’s nape and legs tightly crossed about the alphas waist, he leaned back to shout: “I missed you!”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo boy, if you're reading this I'm so glad you made it here with me! What a roller-coaster writing this was. Poor Shouyou all the way around, my poor child. 
> 
> I'm so so so sorry this chapter took forever to get posted. Events outside of my control kept things from getting done in a timely manner. So long as life cooperates I hope to not take as long to update with the next chapter. 
> 
> Thanks so much to Virus420x for beta-ing once again! 
> 
> And as always comments and feedback are greatly appreciated.

**Author's Note:**

> Sunshine boi has it bad. Haha. I hope I managed to keep them somewhat in character? Also the pronoun game has me dead. Hopefully none of the million “he” pronouns being tossed around messed anyone up. Cuz they did me. RIP me. 
> 
> I'm posting this before I chicken out. I have zero confidence in my writing style. 
> 
> Any constructive thoughts appreciated! 


End file.
